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God  Revealing  His  Tr, 

•  rhroiigh  PatriarcK  *ii\d  Prophet 

I  WAITER  ALBION  SQUIRES.  B.* 


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Squires,  Walter  Albion. 
God  revealing  His  truth 


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God  Revealing  His  Truth 

I.  Through  Patriarch  and  Prophet 


Intermediate  Department,  First  Year,  Part  I 

By;/ 
WALTER  ALBION  SQUIRES,  B.D. 

The  Westminster  Textbooks  of  Religious  Education 

For  Church  Schools  Having  Sunday,  Week 

Day,  and  Expressional  Sessions 

Edited  by  JOHN  T.  PARIS,  D.  D. 


Philadelphia 

The  Westminster  Press 

1921 


Copyright,1921, 
Uy  h\  M.  BRASELMAN 


Preface 


GENERAL  STATEMENT  AS  TO  THE  PURPOSES 
AND  PLANS  OF  THE  COURSE 

The  Westminster  Textbooks  of  Religious  Education 
are  planned  to  meet  the  needs  of  churches  seeking  to 
unify  their  educational  program.  The  informational,  de- 
votional, and  expressional  phases  of  religious  education 
have  been,  heretofore,  to  a  large  extent,  independent  of 
one  another.  This  lack  of  correlation  has  been  detri- 
mental to  educational  efficiency.  Time  and  effort  have 
been  lost  through  duplication.  Valuable  information  has 
failed  to  register  itself  in  conduct  because  of  the  lack  of 
suitable  opportunities  for  expression.  Many  of  our 
churches  have  been  feeling  their  way  toward  better  edu- 
cational standards.  It  is  in  response  to  the  requests  and 
needs  of  these  churches  that  this  series  of  lessons  have 
been  undertaken. 

These  textbooks  are  planned  for  church  schools  having 
a  week-day  session,  a  Sunday  session,  and  an  expressional 
session  meeting  either  on  Sunda)^  or  on  a  week  da}^  An 
absolute  dififerentiation  of  the  three  phases  of  the  edu- 
cative process  is  neither  possible  nor  desirable.  The  les- 
sons are  so  arranged,  however,  that  the  week-day  session 
is  mainly  informational,  the  Sunday  session  more  largely 
devotional,  and  the  third  session  of  the  week  largely  ex- 
pressional. 

Since  the  course  is  a  unity,  it  is  not  necessarily  confined 
to  the  plan  suggested.  It  would  be  equally  suited  to  a 
week-day  church  school  system  having  three  sessions  a 
week  and  unrelated  to  the  Sunday-school  program  of  the 
community.  The  course  could  be  adjusted  to  any  local 
condition,  provided  the  sequence  of  the  lessons  were 
maintained. 

Forty-two  lessons  of  three  sections  each  are  provided 
for  each  grade  or  year.    It  is  thought  that  this  will  furnish 


iv  PREFACE 

material  for  a  church-school  program  with  three  sessions 
per  week  throughout  the  public  school  year.  It  is  also 
believed  that  many  schools  will  find  the  material  sufficient 
for  the  use  of  the  Sunday  session  during  that  part  of  the 
year  when  week-day  sessions  are  discontinued.  Much  of 
this  summer  season  might  be  spent  in  a  rapid  review  of 
the  work  covered  during  the  other  part  of  the  year.  No 
exact  adjustment  to  any  particular  circumstances  is  at- 
tempted because  of  the  fact  that  church  schools  differ 
widely  in  the  matter  of  their  summer  sessions.  Some  are 
practically  closed  all  summer;  some  continue  on  as  exten- 
sive a  basis  as  during  the  other  parts  of  the  year.  The 
whole  matter  of  adjustment  is  best  left  to  the  local  church- 
school  administration.  If  a  church  school  practically 
closes  at  the  beginning  of  summer,  it  would  be  well  for 
the  authorities  of  that  school  to  plan  for  a  completion  of 
each  year's  course  at  that  time.  If  the  school  runs  on 
through  the  summer  with  undiminished  attendance,  more 
time  may  be  taken  for  the  lessons,  a  part  of  each  book 
being  left  for  completion  in  the  summer  session.  Where 
this  is  done,  the  section  intended  for  the  week-day  lesson 
may  be  taken  on  one  Sunday  of  the  summer  period,  the 
Sunday  lesson  related  to  this  week-day  lesson  the  next 
Sunday,  and  the  expressional  lesson  on  a  third  Sunday. 

The  lessons  for  the  Intermediate  grades  are  built  on  the 
supposition  that  the  majority  of  the  pupils  have  become 
somewhat  familiar  with  the  Bible  stories,  especially  those 
of  the  Old  Testament.  Hence  the  stories  are  not  usually 
told  in  their  entirety,  but  the  treatment  is  more  largely 
that  of  analysis  and  illustration  of  the  truths  suggested 
by  the  narratives  of  the  Scrii)ture.  If  it  be  found  that 
most  of  the  pupils  are  not  familiar  with  the  Bible  stories, 
the  teacher  should  give  more  attention  to  the  telling  of 
these  stories  than  is  indicated  in  the  lessons  as  they  are 
here  presented. 


SUGGESTIONS  FOR  THE  TEACHERS  OF  THE 
COURSE 

It  is  desirable,  wherever  possible,  that  the  same 
teachers  have  charge  of  the  three  sections.  Where  this 
is  impracticable,  there  should  be  one  supervisor  for  the 
teaching  in  all  sections.  A  correlated  course  of  study 
will  fail  of  its  purpose  unless  there  is  also  correlated 
teaching. 

It  is  believed  that  detailed  suggestions  as  to  the 
methods  to  be  pursued  in  each  lesson  are  not  needed  for 
trained  teachers  of  Intermediates.  A  careful  study  of  the 
lesson  will  reveal  to  the  trained  teacher  the  objectives 
which  the  lesson  has  in  view,  even  though  these  ob- 
jectives are  not  specifically  stated.  The  lessons  are  ar- 
ranged for  the  topical  method  of  teaching.  A  teacher 
who  is  prepared  will  have  in  readiness  additional  illus- 
trative and  story  material  so  as  to  bring  home  to  every 
child  the  intended  truths. 

No  specific  suggestions  as  to  memory  Avork  are  given 
because  it  is  felt  that  this  is  a  matter  which  the  teacher 
must  determine.  The  teacher  may  use  as  many  of  the 
Scripture  passages  for  memorizing  as  is  found  practicable. 
It  is  hoped  that  many  of  the  hymns  may  also  be  memor- 
ized. These  hymns  should  be  carefully  studied,  interest- 
ing facts  about  their  authors  should  be  told,  and  stories 
may  be  introduced  to  show  the  power  of  these  hymns 
over  the  lives  and  thoughts  of  men.  Unfamiliar  words 
and  phrases  of  the  hymns  should  be  explained  by  the 
teacher.  If  the  teacher  succeeds  in  making  these  great 
hymns  known  and  beloved  by  the  pupils,  she  will  have 
accomplished  a  service  of  inestimable  value.  Some  mem- 
ory work  should  usually  be  given  in  connection  with 
every  recitation. 

The  teacher  should  keep  in  mind  the  fact  that  the 
Sunday  Session  is  primarily  intended  for  training  in 
worship.  If  the  teacher  is  herself  in  the  devotional  frame 
of  mind  and  able  to  impart  her  spirit  to  her  class,  she  will 


vi  SUGGESTIONS  FOR  TEACHERS 

accomplish  much  during:  this  period.  This  session  ought 
not  to  be  so  much  of  a  recitation  as  the  Week  Day  Ses- 
sion. It  ought  to  be  a  service  of  praise  and  worship.  The 
teacher  should  be  prepared  to  give  a  careful  and  effective 
talk  on  the  subject,  illustrating  it  with  suitable  story  ma- 
terial. Some  pupils  may  be  able  to  do  this,  but  only  those 
able  to  do  it  well  should  be  chosen  for  this  Sunday  period 
of  devotion.  The  prayers  given  are  only  suggestions. 
The  teacher  ought  to  be  able  to  use  them,  or  others  of  her 
own,  so  as  to  lead  the  pupils  into  habits  of  prayer,  both 
private  and  public.  The  service  might  well  close  with 
the  study  of  the  lesson  hymn  and  the  singing  of  the  hymn 
by  the  class. 

The  Expressional  Session  is  of  much  importance.  It  is 
intended  that  in  this  session  the  pupils  shall  be  given 
training  in  self-expression  and  initiative.  Moreover,  this 
is  the  time  for  giving  the  ])upils  practical  suggestions  and 
help  in  the  matter  of  putting  into  practice  the  truths  they 
have  learned. 

Brief  suggestions  are  given  as  to  the  leader's  opening 
address.  It  is  not  expected  that  the  leader  will  read  or 
repeat  what  is  given  in  the  book.  What  is  given  there 
is  only  a  sample  of  what  might  be  said.  The  topics  ought 
to  be  assigned  some  time  before  the  meeting  and  pupils 
should  be  given  suggestions  as  to  where  they  may  find 
suitable  material  on  the  topics  assigned. 

Committees  are  to  be  appointed  to  take  up  various  en- 
terprises carrying  out  the  teachings  received.  Thus  this 
session  will  become  a  valuable  training  school  for  effi- 
cient Church  membership  in  addition  to  helping  the  pupils 
by  giving  them  an  opportunity  to  put  in  practice  the 
teachings  they  have  received. 

The  Class  Code  is  a  matter  of  much  importance.  It  is 
aimed  to  sum  up  in  brief  form  some  main  teaching  of  the 
lesson.  Pupils  should  feel  that  they  are  taking  upon 
themselves  a  solemn  obligation  when  they  vote  to  make 
the  laws  of  the  code  the  fundamental  rules  of  the  class 
and  of  their  individual  lives.  There  should  be  a  system 
of  reporting  so  that  the  class  may  know  who  are  keeping 
the  laws  conscientiously.  The  laws  may  be  memorized, 
or  printed  in  motto  form  for  the  wall.     The  teacher  may 


SUGGESTIONS  FOR  TEACHERS  vii 

occasionally  ask  some  such  question  as,  "  How  many 
members  of  the  class  read  something  in  the  Bible  yester- 
day? "  Many  of  the  resolutions  of  the  code  may  be  car- 
ried out  by  the  class  acting  as  a  body.  By  buying  and 
distributing  Testaments,  or  by  sending  an  offering  to  a 
Bible  society,  they  would  be  fulfilling  their  promise  to 
"  try  to  send  the  Bible  and  its  teachings  into  all  parts  of 
the  earth."  An  ingenious  teacher  will  invent  many  ways 
to  bring  the  class  laws  into  the  lives  of  the  pupils. 

It  is  recommended  that  pupils  keep  a  notebook  in 
which  they  write  down  material  designated  by  the  teacher 
from  day  to  day.  Pictures  illustrating  the  lessons  may 
be  secured  at  a  trifling  cost  and  will  add  greatly  to  the 
interest  in  the  notebook  work. 

It  will  be  noted  that  the  lessons  are  not  tied  up  to  any 
time  schedule.  Each  book  of  the  course  may  be  taken 
up  at  such  a  time  as  seems  best  to  the  local  church-school 
authorities.  Lessons  suitable  for  Christmas,  Easter,  or 
other  special  days,  may  be  omitted  temporarily  from  the 
course  and  then  taken  up  at  the  suitable  time. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Preface iii 

Suggestions  for  the  Teacher v 

I 

THE  MAJESTIC  CREATOR  OF  THE  UNIVERSE 

Chapti^r  I.     The  Eternal  God 3 

Chapter  II.     The  Ever  Present  God 16 

Chapter        III.     The  Righteous  God 30 

II 

THE  HELPER  AND  FRIEND  OF  MEN 

Chapter  IV.  Abraham,  a  Desert  Chief, 
Who  Became  the  Friend  of 
God   43 

Chapter  V.  Jacob:  A  Wayward  Youth 
Made  Noble  Through  God's 
Disciplines  of  Life 54 

Chapter  VI.  Joseph :  How  Misfortunes  Be- 
came Blessings  Through  the 
Providence  of  God 65 

Chapter  VII.  Moses:  A  Mighty  Task  Ac- 
complished Through  the 
Grace  and  Power  of  God. .  .     76 

III 
THE  GUIDE  AND  JUDGE  OF  NATIONS 

Chapter     VIII.     God  Creates  a  Nation  to  Be  a 

Blessing  to  the  World 91 

Chapter  IX.  The  Land  God  Gave  to  Israel.  102 
Chapter  X.    The  Laws  God  Gave  to  Israel.  116 

Chapter        XI.     The   Hebrew   Nation   Misses 

the  Mark 128 

Chapter       XII.     God    Punishing    a    Nation's 

Sins   140 

Chapter     XIII.     The  Hebrew  Nation's  Second 

Chance  152 

ix 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 

IV 
THE  GOD  THE  HEBREW  PROPHETS  KNEW 

PACK 

Chapter      XIV.     Elijah   Proclaims  the  Justice 

of  Jehovah 167 

Chapter  XV.  The  Shepherd  of  Tekoa  Fore- 
tells the  Coming  Wrath  of 
God    179 

Chapter      XVI.     IMicah's   Message   Concerning 

Social  Righteousness 192 

Chapter  XVII.  Hosea  Preaches  God's  Com- 
passionate Love 205 

Chapter  XVIII.     Jeremiah:  Heroic  Prophet  of 

Declining  Judah 217 

Chapter      XIX.     Previsions  of  the  Golden  Age.  230 

Chapter       XX.     The  Coming  Saviour 242 

Chapter      XXI.     The    Invincible    Purposes    of 

God  254 


SECTION  I 
THE  MAJESTIC  CREATOR  OF  THE  UNIVERSE 

Chapte:r      I.    The:  Eternal  God. 
Chapter    IL     The  Ever  Present  God. 
Chapter  III.     The  Righteous  God. 


"  Thou  art  Jehovah,  even  thoui  alone ;  thou  hast  made 
heaven,  the  heaven  of  heavens,  with  all  their  host,  the  earth 
and  all  things  that  are  thereon,  the  seas  and  all  that  is  in 
them,  and  thou  preservest  them  all ;  and  the  host  of 
heaven  worshippeth  thee." — Neh.  9  :6. 

"  I  believe  in  God  the  Father  Almighty,  Maker  of  heaven 
and  earth.  " — The  Apostles'  Creed. 


CHAPTER  I 

THE  ETERNAL  GOD 

WEEK  DAY  SESSION 

GOD  BRINGS  INTO  EXISTENCE  A  UNIVERSE  OF 
LIFE  AND  ORDER 

Gen.  1:1-25 

Introduction 

It  is  always  interesting  to  find  out  about  the  beginnings 
of  things.  For  a  thousand  years  or  more,  people  wondered 
about  the  river  Nile.  They  sent  out  many  exploring  parties 
to  find  where  it  began,  somewhere  up  in  the  heart  of  Africa, 
under  the  equator.  This  first  lesson  of  the  Intermediate  De- 
partment ought  to  be  interesting,  for  in  it  we  study  the  story 
which  tells  us  about  the  beginning  of  all  things.  But  before 
we  take  up  that  story  let  us  notice  a  few  things  about  the 
book  which  contains  it. 

Our  WoNDi:RFur.  Textbook 

The  Bible  is  the  most  wonderful  Book  in  the  world.  The 
word  "  Bible  "  means  "  the  book  "  and  it  is  entitled  to  the 
name  for  it  is  the  Book  of  books.  The  Bible  is  to  be  our 
textbook  in  the  Intermediate  Department.  We  shall  have 
other  books,  but  they  are  to  be  only  helps  enabling  us  to 
understand  the  Bible  better  than  we  otherwise  could  do. 
As  members  of  the  Intermediate  Department  you  have 
reached  an  age  when  you  are  able  to  understand  much 
more  of  the  Bible  than  you  could  as  pupils  in  the  Primary 
and  Junior  grades.  Of  course,  however,  you  will  not  ex- 
pect to  understand  the  most  wonderful  Book  in  the  world 
without  diligent  study. 

SoMK  Wonders  oe  the  Bibi.k 
Its  Wonderful  Literature.     The  most  important  thing 

3 


4        INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

about  a  book  is  the  truth  it  contains.  The  way  it  tells  this 
truth  is  also  important.  H  the  writer  of  a  book  uses  the 
right  words  and  forms  them  into  pleasing  phrases  and  beau- 
tiful sentences,  we  lind  pleasure  not  only  in  the  thoughts 
which  the  book  expresses,  but  also  in  the  way  they  are  ex- 
pressed. We  say  that  such  books  are  good  literature.  Now, 
considered  merely  as  literature,  the  Bible  is  the  greatest 
Book  in  the  world.  Most  people  will  agree  that  some  parts 
of  the  Bible  are  more  sublimely  beautiful  than  anything  to 
be  found  in  all  the  literature  of  the  world  outside  the  Bible. 
The  words  and  phrases  of  the  Bible  have  been  copied  into 
the  greatest  books  and  the  greatest  orations  of  the  world 
and  it  is  this  Bible  material  which  makes  these  books  and 
these  orations  great  pieces  of  literature. 

Its  Wonderful  Unity.  When  a  book  has  one  subject 
running  through  it  w^e  say  that  it  possesses  unity.  Some- 
times several  authors  have  written  parts  of  a  book.  Such 
books  nearly  always  lack  unity.  The  Bible  is  in  sixty-six 
distinct  parts  and  it  was  written  by  probably  thirty-six  dif- 
ferent people.  The  period  during  which  the  Bible  was  being 
written  covers  more  than  a  thousand  years.  Very  different 
kinds  of  people  took  part  in  the  writing  of  the  Bible.  Some 
were  kings  sitting  on  thrones ;  some  were  shepherds  watch- 
ing their  flocks  alone  in  the  wilderness ;  some  were  fishermen. 
Would  you  expect  a  book  written  in  such  a  way  to  have 
unity?  iVnd  yet  the  Bible  has  a  wonderful  unity.  It  deals 
with  one  great  subject. 

Its  Wonderful  History.  'J'he  Bible  is  one  of  the  oldest 
books  in  the  world.  During  all  the  centuries  of  its  existence 
it  has  made  great  changes  wherever  it  has  gone.  A  lad  in 
Japan  once  found  a  few  pages  of  the  Bible  floating  in  a 
stream  near  his  home.  He  dried  the  paper,  learned  to  read 
the  verses,  and  through  the  influences  of  the  Bible  became  a 
Christian  and  the  founder  of  a  great  university  in  his  native 
land.  Could  the  finding  of  a  few  pages  from  any  other  book 
lead  to  such  a  result? 

Its  Wonderful  Subject  Matter.  We  have  said  that 
the  most  imjjortant  thing  about  a  book  is  the  truth  it  con- 
tains. The  Bible  is  the  liook  of  Truth  and  it  deals  with  the 
most  important  subjects  in  the  world.  It  has  been  said  that 
the  subjects  with  which  the  Bible  deals  can  be  expressed  in 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS        5 

four  words.  These  words  are  "  God,"  "  man,"  "  sin,"  and 
"  redemption." 

The  Bible  tells  us  about  God.  Without  the  Bible  we 
would  be  like  the  people  of  Africa  and  India  who  worship 
wooden  idols  or  bow  down  to  snakes  and  monkeys,  calling 
them  their  gods. 

The  Bible  tells  us  about  ourselves.  People  who  have  no 
Bibles  are  always  asking :  "  What  are  we?  Whence  have  we 
come  ?  Whither  do  we  go  ?  "  People  have  given  some 
strange  answers  to  these  questions.  The  Bible  helps  us  to 
answer  them  correctly. 

The  Bible  tells  us  about  sin.  Without  the  Bible  men  have 
no  very  reliable  guide  to  show  them  what  is  right  and  what 
is  wrong.  If  we  know  our  Bibles  we  know  what  sin  is;  we 
know  its  dangers  and  its  penalties,  for  the  Bible  speaks 
plainly  on  the  subject. 

The  Bible  tells  us  about  redemption.  Redemption  is  the 
method  by  which  we  gain  freedom  from  sin  and  enter  into 
right  relations  with  God.  Have  you  heard  of  the  terrible 
methods  used  by  men  and  women  in  India  in  their  efforts 
to  find  freedom  from  sin  and  peace  with  God  ?  Some  lie 
down  on  planks  filled  with  sharp  spikes.  Some  of  them  go 
out  on  a  hot  day  and  sit  in  the  blazing  sunshine  of  that 
tropical  country  for  hours.  They  often  make  their  suft'er- 
ings  still  more  acute  by  building  a  large  fire  near  which  they 
sit,  and  the  heat  of  the  flames  is  added  to  that  of  the  sun. 
The  Bible  tells  us  how  we  can  be  reconciled  to  God  through 
his  Son  who  has  been  sent  as  our  Saviour  and  Teacher. 

First  Bible;  Messages  About  God 

Since  we  have  learned  that  a  large  part  of  the  subject 
matter  of  the  Bible  is  concerned  with  the  truths  we  are  to 
learn  about  God,  we  might  expect  that  the  very  first  words 
of  the  Book  should  tell  us  something  about  him.  The  things 
which  these  first  verses  have  to  tell  us  about  him  are  so 
very  great  and  deep  that  we  can  hardly  expect  to  under- 
stand them  completely.  This  fact  ought  not  to  discourage 
us,  however.  The  greatest  philosophers  of  the  world  have 
never  understood  all  that  these  verses  mean.  The  fact  that 
we  cannot  understand  all  need  not  make  us  doubtful  as  to 
the  truth  of  what  we  do  understand.     We  can  look  down 


6        INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

into  a  well  and  we  may  not  be  able  to  see  the  bottom  or  to 
tell  how  deep  it  is,  yet  we  are  sure  it  is  a  well.  So  we  can 
know  some  things  about  God  and  be  very  sure  about  them, 
even  if  we  can  never  know  all  about  him. 

The  God  Who  Existed  Before  the  Beginning  of 
Time.  The  first  verse  of  the  Bible  expresses  one  of  the 
truths  about  God  which  we  know  must  be  so,  and  yet  cannot 
understand.  It  tells  us  that  God  is  eternal,  has  existed  for- 
ever. We  cannot  grasp  the  thought  of  eternal,  infinite,  or 
boundless  existence.  It  is  like  trying  to  think  of  boundless 
space.  We  look  up  into  the  sky  at  night  and  see  the  stars. 
Some  of  them  are  so  far  away  that  it  takes  their  light  cen- 
turies to  pass  from  them  to  us,  yet  they  do  not  mark  the 
boundaries  of  space.  We  cannot  think  of  space  as  ending 
there  or  anywhere  else.  God  has  always  been,  is  now,  and 
ever  shall  be. 

The  Only  God.  The  majesty  and  beauty  of  this  Bible 
story  of  the  Creation  places  it  far  above  any  other  story  of 
its  kind.  Nearly  every  race  of  people  in  the  world  has  had 
stories  about  the  beginning  of  things.  Some  of  these  are 
so  odd  and  crude  that  we  are  inclined  to  smile  at  them.  A 
Chinese  picture  of  the  Creation  shows  us  an  old  man  slowly 
carving  out  the  mountains  with  mallet  and  chisel.  Other 
peoples  have  believed  that  the  earth  and  the  heavens  were 
made  by  some  great  dragon  or  sea  monster.  Some  of  the 
people  of  India  think  of  a  great  serpent  as  the  creator  and 
upholder  of  the  universe.  They  believe  that  the  earth  rests 
on  the  backs  of  three  elephants,  that  these  elephants 
stand  on  the  back  of  an  immense  turtle,  and  that  this 
turtle  stands  upon  the  folded  body  of  the  great  serpent 
which  created  all  things.  Looking  up  into  the  sky  at  night 
they  see  the  Milky  Way  stretched  across  the  heavens  and 
say  that  it  is  the  serpent  of  their  story,  each  star  a  glistening 
scale  in  the  serpent's  shining  body.  It  is  only  in  the  simple 
and  beautiful  story  of  Genesis  that  we  are  told  of  the  one 
great,  ever-existing  God  who  created  all  things  by  the  word 
of  his  power. 

The  Unformed  Earth.  When  God  called  into  existence 
the  materials  of  which  the  earth  is  made,  his  task  was  only 
begun.  We  are  told  that  after  God  created  the  heavens  and 
the  earth,  "  The  earth  was  waste  and  void."    It  was  with- 


ONE   OF  THE   SPIRAL  NEBUf.AE 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS        7 

out  form,  empty,  without  light  or  life.  If  you  should  look 
through  a  large  telescope  pointed  in  the  direction  of  the 
constellation  of  Andromeda  you  would  see  what  seemed  to 
be  a  small,  dim  cloud  in  the  midst  of  the  stars.  It  is  not 
really  small,  however.  It  is  a  great  bank  of  fog  and  fire 
mist,  extending  through  millions  and  millions  of  miles  of 
space.  There  are  many  of  these  nebulae,  as  they  are  called, 
in  the  sky.  Some  of  them  look  as  if  they  were  whirling  like 
vast  pinwheels  in  space.  Many  scientists  believe  that  out 
there  in  the  heavens  new  suns  and  worlds  are  being  made. 
If  their  beliefs  are  right  and  our  world  was  once  a  nebulous 
mass  floating  darkly  in  the  infinite  spaces  of  heaven,  we 
know  that  God  was  there.  How  near  our  verse  comes  to 
saying  this  very  thing  when  it  tells  us  that  the  earth  was 
"  waste  and  void." 

The  Brooding  Spirit.  Have  you  ever  seen  a  mother 
bird  sitting  on  her  nest  up  in  a  tree?  How  patiently  she 
warms  her  eggs  with  her  own  breast.  How  carefully  she 
turns  them  and  covers  them  with  her  soft  feathers.  She  is 
warming  them  into  life,  or  rather  warming  the  life  she  has 
given  them,  into  beings  like  herself.  Now,  this  is  the  picture 
the  Hebrew  word  gives  us  of  God  and  the  universe  after  the 
first  act  of  creation.  It  says,  *'  And  the  Spirit  of  God  was 
brooding  upon  the  face  of  the  waters." 

The  Maker  of  the  Sun.  Sometimes  at  night  we  see  a 
wonderful  display  of  northern  lights.  Great  beams  of  light 
come  up  out  of  the  north  and  stream  across  the  zenith. 
They  move  to  and  fro  across  the  sky  like  a  company  of 
soldiers  on  parade.  Rosy  flushes  sweep  across  the  heavens 
like  the  film  of  vapor  which  quickly  comes  and  goes  when 
you  blow  your  breath  upon  a  windowpane  in  winter.  What 
causes  it  all?  The  next  morning  the  sun  rises  through  a 
hazy  sky  and  some  dark  specks  are  visible  on  its  face. 
Scientists  say  that  the  sun  spots  cause  the  northern  lights. 
If  you  know  what  sun  spots  are,  you  will  not  be  surprised  to 
know  that  they  produce  such  disturbances  on  the  earth. 
They  are  vast  storms  that  tear  great  holes  deep  into  the 
flaming  surface  of  the  sun,  holes  so  large  that  hundreds 
of  worlds  the  size  of  ours  could  be  poured  into  them.  What 
thunderings  and  flashings  take  place  in  those  terrific  storms 
of  white  hot  vapors  we  do  not  know.    We  know  only  that 


8        INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

though  these  sun  storms  are  ninety-three  millions  of  miles 
away  from  our  earth  they  send  out  lines  of  force  which 
touch  our  world  with  power.  Every  telephone  and  tele- 
graph wire  spread  across  the  land  or  along  the  bottom  of  the 
sea  feels  the  tug  of  that  far-off  strife  of  the  elements,  and 
the  reflections  of  its  lightnings  throw  their  beams  across  our 
sky.  When  we  think  about  how  great  and  vast  the  sun  is, 
it  helps  us  to  understand  the  greatness  of  the  One  who 
formed  it  by  his  word  of  power. 

"  He  Made  the  Stars  Also."  And  yet  the  sun  is,  itself, 
only  a  speck  in  the  vastness  of  God's  universe.  There  are 
millions  upon  millions  of  suns  in  the  sky.  We  call  them  the 
"  fixed  stars."  Our  sun  is  more  than  eight  hundred  thou- 
sand miles  in  diameter,  but  there  are  many  suns  far  larger 
than  this  sun.  These  suns  are  flung  forth  so  far  into  space 
that  figures  fail  to  express  their  distance.  The  number  of 
them  all,  no  man  can  tell.  They  are  known  and  numbered 
only  by  the  One  who  "  made  the  stars  also." 

'•  Lord  of  every  land  and  nation, 

Ancient  of  eternal  days, 
Sounded  through  the  wide  creation 

Be  thy  just  and  lawful  praise; 
For  the  grandeur  of  thy  nature — 

Grand  beyond  a  seraph's  thought; 
For  created  works  of  power, 

Works  with  skill  and  kindness  wrought." 


SUNDAY  SESSION 

GOD  CREATES  MAN  AFTER  HIS  OWN  LIKENESS 

Gen.  1:26  to  2  :3 ;  Psalm  8 

All  the  creative  acts  of  God  of  which  we  studied  in  our 
last  chapter  were  but  preparations  fora  greater  act  of  crea- 
tion which  was  to  follow  them.  A  gardener  labors  long  and 
diligently,  spading  soil  and  enriching  it ;  but  it  is  not  for  the 
sake  of  the  soil,  itself,  that  he  works  so  hard ;  it  is  for  the 
sake  of  the  fruits  and  flowers  which  shall  sometime  grow 
there.  A  mother  bird  builds  a  nest  by  adding  straw  to 
straw.    She  does  not  make  the  nest  for  its  own  sake,  but  for 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS        9 

the  nestlings  which  are  to  be  cradled  there.  Your  father 
builds  a  house,  furnishes  it,  makes  it  beautiful,  without  and 
within.  Does  he  do  it  for  the  sake  of  the  house  and  for 
himself  alone,  or  is  it  that  he  may  have  a  home  for  you 
where  you  and  he  can  live  together  in  fellowship  and  peace? 
While  God  was  making  the  world,  he  was  fitting  up  a  home 
for  man.  Ages  before  man  was  on  the  earth,  God  was 
working  through  nature,  storing  away  coal  and  oil,  iron  and 
tin,  down  beneath  the  surface  of  the  earth.  His  water  and 
ice  were  busy  changing  rocks  into  fertile  soil  for  the  fields 
and  gardens  of  men,  which  were  yet  to  be.  When  the  new 
home  was  all  ready  and  beautiful,  God  said,  "  Let  us  make 
man  in  our  image,  after  our  likeness." 

The  Greatest  of  God's  Creations.  The  creation  of 
man  was  a  greater  act  than  the  creation  of  the  sun,  or  of  the 
stars,  or  of  the  vegetable  life  of  the  world,  or  of  all  the  ani- 
mal Hfe  outside  of  man.  Man  only,  of  all  God's  creation,  is 
made  in  the  image  and  likeness  of  God.  By  saying  that 
man  is  made  in  the  image  of  God,  we  mean  that  man  is 
more  like  God  than  anything  else  the  Creator  has  made. 
Man  is  enough  like  God  to  know  him  and  love  him  and  grow 
more  and  more  like  him,  while  suns  and  stars  and  animals 
and  birds  are  not  enough  like  God  to  make  any  of  these 
things  possible. 

The  creation  of  man  was  the  most  enduring  act  of  God's 
creation.  God  made  man  for  a  life  like  his  own  life  which 
goes  on  forever.  Some  verses  in  one  of  the  psalms  speak 
of  this  unending  life  of  God  and  the  change  which  comes  to 
everything  else. 

"  Thy  years  are  throughout  all  generations. 
Of  old  didst  thou  lay  the  foundation  of  the  earth; 
And  the  heavens  are  the  work  of  thy  hands. 
They  shall  perish,  but  thou  shalt  endure; 
Yea,  all  of  them  shall  wax  old  like  a  garment; 
As    a    vesture    shalt    thou    change    them,    and    they    shall    be 

changed: 
But  thou  art  the  same. 
And  thy  years  shall  have  no  end." 

— Ps.  102:24-27. 

Made  to  Have  Dominion.  God  made  man  to  be  a  ruler. 
He  gave  him  dominion  over  the  other  living  things  he  had 


10      INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

made  upon  the  earth,  "  over  the  fish  of  the  sea,  and  over  the 
birds  of  the  heavens,  and  over  the  cattle,  and  over  all 
the  earth,  and  over  every  creeping  thing  that  creepeth  upon 
the  earth."  Every  man  and  woman  and  every  boy  and  girl 
has  part  in  this  dominion  over  the  other  creatures  of  the 
earth.  If  we  live  in  a  city  we  may  not  see  much  of  the  cattle 
or  of  the  fish  of  the  sea,  but  even  in  the  city  "  creeping 
things  "  come  across  our  paths  and  under  our  dominion ;  the 
birds  come  about  our  doors  to  pick  up  crumbs  in  winter,  and 
to  build  their  homes  in  summer.  What  kind  of  rulers  are  we 
to  be?  Some  people  are  kind  and  helpful  sovereigns  over 
God's  creatures;  some  are  selfish  tyrants.  We  should  re- 
member that  our  dominion  over  the  creatures  of  the  world 
is  not  ours  except  as  God's  gift  to  us.  He  created  them  and 
has  asked  us  to  look  after  them  for  him.  A  king  sometimes 
appoints  a  certain  person  to  rule  a  certain  part  of  his  do- 
minions, in  his  stead.  Such  a  person  is  called  a  viceroy. 
In  our  rulership  over  the  animal  life  of  the  world,  we  are 
viceroys  of  God. 

Made  to  Conquer.  God  not  only  gave  man  dominion, 
but  also  gave  him  tasks  to  perform.  "  Have  dominion  over 
the  .  .  .  earth,"  said  he,  "  and  subdue  it."  God  wisely  put 
difficulties  in  man's  pathway.  If  we  never  grapple  with 
difficulties  and  conquer  them,  we  never  grow  as  we  should. 
For  centuries  fierce  wild  animals  contended  with  man  for 
the  dominion  of  the  world.  Our  far-away  ancestors  grap- 
pled with  the  tiger  and  the  bear  in  a  hand-to-claw  struggle 
for  survival,  but  that  warfare  is  ended  long  ago.  Great 
rivers  were  a  barrier  to  the  movements  of  early  man  as  he 
pushed  out  seeking  new  homes  in  the  unpeopled  regions  of 
the  earth.  In  time  man  learned  how  to  subdue  the  rivers, 
how  to  make  them  grind  his  corn  and  bear  his  merchandise 
and  water  the  deserts  for  the  raising  of  his  crops.  The 
ocean  was  long  a  dreaded  barrier  to  man,  but  now  it  is  sub- 
dued and  has  become  the  highway  of  the  nations.  The 
electric  currents  of  the  earth  were  once  regarded  by  man  as 
mysterious  and  dreaded  enemies  of  destruction.  Now  they 
are  subdued ;  they  light  our  streets,  run  our  trolley  cars,  and 
carry  our  messages  in  a  moment's  time  across  continents  and 
under  oceans.  The  thinness  of  the  air  and  the  tug  of  gravi- 
tation for  centuries  seemed  to  meet  all  man's  attempts  to 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS      11 

soar  above  the  earth  with  a  stern,  "  Thou  shalt  not,"  but 
now,  even  these  are  subdued  and  man  flies  like  a  bird. 

But  man  has  not  3^et  accomplished  all  his  task  of  subdu- 
ing the  earth.  Perhaps  he  has  not  accomplished  the  most 
important  part  of  it.  There  are  many  things  in  men  and 
among  men  yet  to  be  subdued.  To  bring  it  about  that  God's 
will  shall  be  done  on  earth  as  it  is  done  in  heaven  is  a 
greater  task  than  anything  man  has  yet  accomplished.  In 
fact,  it  is  so  great  that  man  can  never  hope  to  accomplish 
it  alone ;  but  God  has  taught  us  to  believe  that  with  his 
help,  it  shall  yet  be  done. 

The:  Child  of  a  King 

More  than  a  century  ago,  a  terrible  revolution  broke  out 
in  France.  The  common  people  had  been  cruelly  oppressed 
for  centuries  and  conditions  had  grown  steadily  worse  in 
matters  of  government.  Thousands  were  starving  every- 
where in  France.  The  young  king  and  queen  were  not  to 
blame,  and  they  tried  to  make  such  changes  as  would  bring 
justice  and  relief,  but  the  effort  was  made  too  late.  The 
revolution  came,  and  the  king,  queen,  and  royal  family  were 
thrown  into  prison.  Week  by  week,  the  fury  of  the  mob 
grew  stronger  in  the  streets  of  Paris,  The  king  was  dragged 
from  prison  to  a  mock  trial,  condemned,  and  executed. 
Then  the  queen  was  seized  by  the  enraged  populace  and  met 
a  like  fate. 

Then  the  blind  fury  of  the  mobs  was  turned  against  the 
young  prince,  heir  to  the  throne,  who  was  languishing  in 
prison.  The  mobs  hated  him  because  of  what  his  fore- 
fathers had  done  and  because  they  thought  of  him  as  be- 
longing to  the  system  of  government  which  had  oppressed 
them.  "  Bring  him  out !  Bring  him  out !  "  shouted  the 
fierce  crowds.  In  his  cell  the  young  prince  heard  the  shout- 
ing, but  he  was  not  afraid.  He  knew  he  was  in  the  keeping 
of  the  Father  of  the  righteous. 

In  the  midst  of  the  shouting  one  of  the  most  notorious 
leaders  of  the  mob  climbed  to  a  place  overlooking  the  crowd 
and  said :  "  You  are  seeking  to  take  the  life  of  the  young 
prince,  but  I  have  a  better  plan  than  that.  If  you  take  his 
life  now,  his  soul  will  soar  away  to  heaven  and  be  in  happi- 
ness and  peace  forever.     My  plan  is  that,  ere  we  take  his 


12      INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

life,  we  make  him  commit  such  sins  that  his  soul  can  never 
enter  heaven."  And  so  it  was  agreed.  They  chose  "  Old 
Meg- "  a  woman  of  notorious  wickedness,  and  commissioned 
her  to  go  into  the  young  prince's  cell  and  to  make  him  curse, 
and  become  drunken,  and  break  in  other  ways  the  laws  of 
God.  They  had  mistaken  the  temper  of  the  lad,  however. 
He  stood  fast  in  his  loyalty  to  right.  To  every  evil  sug- 
gestion he  replied  with  a  firm  and  final :  *'  I  will  not  do  it. 
I  am  the  child  of  a  king."  Such  heroic  devotion  to  right  so 
impressed  even  the  wild  Paris  mobs  that  they  could  not  help 
respecting  the  heroic  young  prince  and  ceased  tormenting 
him. 

The  beautiful  story  of  the  first  two  chapters  of  Genesis  is 
followed  in  the  third  chapter  by  the  dark  story  of  man's 
fall  into  sin.  "  And  God  saw  everything  that  he  had  made, 
and  behold,  it  was  very  good."  This,  and  then  a  Sabbath 
rest,  and  then  the  serpent's  whisper  and  the  combing  in  of 
evil  to  mar  the  order,  peace,  and  joy  of  God's  plans  for  the 
children  of  his  love!  The  Bible  picture  is  true  to  hfe.  Sor- 
row comes  to  those  who  do  evil,  but  wisdom  and  loyalty 
and  truth  abide  in  the  hearts  of  those  who  turn  away  from 
every  temptation  to  evil  saying :  "  I  will  not  do  it.  I  am  the 
child  of  a  King." 

"  Remember  also  thy  Creator  in  the  days  of  thy  youth." — 
Eccl.  12:1a. 

"Keep  thyself  pure."— I  Tim.  5  :22b. 

"  He  that  overcometh,  I  will  give  to  him  to  sit  down  with 
me  in  my  throne." — Rev.  3  :21a. 

Thk  Le:sson  Prayicr 

O  God,  our  Father  in  heaven,  thou  hast  existed  for  ever 
and  ever.  Thou  hast  created  all  things  by  thy  power  and 
thou  hast  made  all  things  beautiful  and  good.  Help  us 
to  be  reverent  and  thankful  as  we  think  of  thy  goodness 
and  thy  wisdom  and  thy  love.  Help  us  in  our  study  of 
thy  Book  which  thou  hast  given  us.  May  we  not  only 
understand  its  teachings,  but  also  obey  its  commandments. 
Help  us  to  think  pure  thoughts,  speak  clean  words,  and 
do  the  things  that  are  right.    We  pray  for  thy  blessings  on 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS      13 

our  church  and  on  our  class.  We  pray  that  thou  wilt  show 
us  what  we  can  do  for  thee  and  what  we  can  undertake 
to  make  our  own  community  more  Christian.  So  may  we 
all  do  our  Father's  bidding  day  by  day  and  help  to  build 
up  that  beautiful  Kingdom  where  his  will  is  done  on  earth 
as  it  is  done  in  heaven.  We  ask  these  things  in  the  name  of 
thy  Son,  our  Saviour.    Amen. 

The;  Lesson  Hymn 

"  O  worship  the  King  all  glorious  above, 
O  gratefully  sing  his  power  and  his  love; 
Our  Shield  and  Defender,  the  Ancient  of  days, 
Pavilioned  in  splendor,  and  girded  with  praise. 

"  O  tell  of  his  might,  O  sing  of  his  grace, 
Whose  robe  is  the  light,  whose  canopy  space. 
His  chariots  of  wrath  the  deep  thunder  clouds  form. 
And  dark  is  his  path  on  the  wings  of  the  storm. 

"  The  earth  with  its  store  of  wonders  untold. 
Almighty  thy  power  hath  founded  of  old; 
Hath  established  it  fast  by  a  changeless  decree, 
And  round  it  hath  cast,  like  a  mantle  the  sea. 

"Thy  bountiful  care  what  tongue  can  recite? 
It  breathes  in  the  air;  it  shines  in  the  light; 
It  streams  from  the  hills;  it  descends  from  the  plain; 
And  sweetly  distills  in  the  dew  and  the  rain. 


O  measureless  Might!  Ineffable  Love! 
While  angels  delight  to  hymn  thee  above, 
The  humbler  creation,  though  feebler  their  lays, 
With  true  adoration  shall  lisp  to  thy  praise." 


EXPRESSIONAL  SESSION 

THE  BIBLE  AND  ITS  OPENING  CHAPTER 

Gen.,  ch.  1 ;  Psalm  8 

Sugge:stions  for  the  Leader's  Opening  Address 

Our  church  school  is  now  running  with  three  sessions  a 
week,  one  on  a  week  day,  one  on  a  Sunday,  and  one  to  be 
held  at  the  hour  we  are  now  coming  together  and  to  be 


14      INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

called  *'  an  expresslonal  session."  In  the  first  two  sessions 
our  class  teacher  will  have  charge,  but  in  the  expressional 
session  we  ourselves  shall  direct  things  with  the  help  of  our 
teacher.  We  shall  review  and  discuss  the  things  we  have 
been  taught  in  the  other  sessions  of  the  school.  We  shall 
plan  how  we  can  carry  out  what  we  have  learned  so  as  to 
live  right  ourselves  and  so  as  to  help  our  companions  and 
our  whole  community  to  be  Christian.  We  shall  later  choose 
a  name  for  our  class  and  have  a  regular  constitution 
with  appropriate  officers,  mottoes,  badges,  and  committees. 
Some  of  these  committees  will  be  appointed  to-day  but  first 
of  all  we  shall  take  up  the  consideration  of  the  topic  for 
the  day. 

We  are  to  think  and  talk  about  "  The  Bible  and  Its 
Opening  Chapter."  We  have  been  told  in  our  lessons  that 
the  Bible  is  a  wonderful  Book,  and  have  considered  some 
of  the  reasons  why  it  is  so  wonderful.  The  things  we  have 
heard  about  the  Bible  may  not  be  just  the  reasons  why  we 
like  it.  I  like  the  Bible  because  it  tells  us  about  brave  men 
such  as  David  and  Daniel  and  the  prophets.  Now  I  have 
told  you  why  I  hke  the  Bible,  and  after  we  have  repeated 
the  lesson  prayer  together  and  closed  with  The  Lord's 
Prayer,  I  am  going  to  ask  some  of  you  to  stand  up  and  tell 
us  why  you  like  the  Bible. 

Study  Topics 

L     Why  I  like  the  Bible. 

2.  My  Favorite  Bible  Verse. 

3.  The  Most  Beautiful  Passages  of  the  Old  Testament. 

4.  Common  Versions  of  the  English  Bible. 

5.  Great  Bible  Translators,  Wyclif,  Tyndale,  Jerome. 

6.  How  the  Bible  Story  of  Creation  Agrees  with  the 
Conclusions  of  Scientists. 

7.  How  the  Bible  Story  of  Creation  Differs  from  the 
Creation  Stories  in  Pagan  Literature. 

8.  Subjects  About  Which  the  Bible  Teaches  Us. 

9.  Value  of  the  Bible  in  the  Home  and  in  the  Nation. 

Verses  for  Use  in  the  Meeting 

Josh.  1:8;  Ps.  89:11;  90:2;  119:9,  105;  102:25;  Isa. 
40:21-23;  Amos  5:8;  II  Tim.  3:14-16;  Heb.  4:12. 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS       15 

CoMMiTTEiiS  TO  Bk  Appointed 
Committee  on  a  Constitution.     Nominating  Committee. 

Things  to  Bk  Done:  by  Individual  Me:mbkrs  oi^  thk 
C1.ASS  OR  BY  Committees 

1.  Find  out  about  the  American  Bible  Society. 

2.  Find  out  about  the  Gideons. 

3.  Report  on  the  work  of  Sunday-school  missionaries. 

4.  Find  out  how  many  pupils  from  twelve  to  fourteen 
years  of  age  are  enrolled  in  the  public  schools  of  the  city 
or  community. 

5.  Find  out  how  many  pupils  of  the  same  age  are  en- 
rolled in  Sunday  school. 

6.  Find  out  about  the  Pocket  Testament  League. 

7.  Find  out  whether  there  are  any  homes  in  the  com- 
munity where  there  is  no  Bible. 

The  Class  Code 

The  Law  of  Respect  for  God's  Word.  The  Bible  is  the 
most  wonderful  and  most  valuable  Book  in  the  world. 
Therefore : 

L  We  will  study  it  diligently,  making  it  the  rule  of  our 
lives  to  read  it  every  day. 

2.  We  will  endeavor  to  live  according  to  its  teachings. 

3.  We  will  try  to  send  the  Bible  and  the  religion  it 
teaches  into  all  parts  of  the  earth. 


CHAPTER  II 

THE  EVER  PRESENT  GOD 

WEEK  DAY  SESSION 

GOD'S  PRESENCE  IN  NATURE 
Psalms  104: ;  139:1-12 

In  the  preceding  chapter,  we  studied  about  the  God  who 
has  always  existed  and  who  made  the  universe.  We  must 
not  think  that  God  made  the  heavens  and  the  earth  and  then 
withdrew  to  some  distant  place  of  abode  and  left  his  creation 
to  run  itself.  The  Bible  picture  of  God's  relation  to  his 
works  is  exactly  opposite  to  this.  Having  created  man,  God 
held  communication  with  him ;  having  planted  a  garden,  he 
walked  there  "  in  the  cool  of  the  day."  This  is  the  Old 
Testament  way  of  saying  that  the  great  Creator  is  every- 
where, and  always  present  in  all  hisi  works. 

Long  before  the  Old  Testament  was  written  men  felt  the 
presence  of  God  in  the  objects  and  processes  of  nature. 
These  early  men,  as  we  might  expect,  did  not  understand  so 
much  about  the  God  revealed  in  nature  as  we  do  to-day. 
They  made  many  mistakes  in  their  attempts  to  explain  their 
feelings  in  the  presence  of  the  wonders  of  the  natural  world. 
Sometimes  they  thought  that  there  must  be  thousands  of 
gods,  for  they  felt  as  if  there  were  presences  in  everything 
they  saw  or  heard.  There  must,  therefore,  be  a  god  in  each 
river,  in  the  clouds  that  brought  the  rain,  in  the  wonderful 
unfolding  flower  buds  that  grew  into  the  fruits  that  made 
a  part  of  their  food.  It  took  man  a  long  time  to  understand 
that  the  presence  he  felt  in  nature  was  not  that  of  many 
different  persons  but  that  of  one  great  Person,  everywhere 
and  always  present. 

The  Oldest  Poem  in  the  World.  Some  years  ago  ex- 
plorers among  the  ruins  of  Egypt  dug  up  some  clay  tablets 
covered  with  inscriptions  in  that  strange  kind  of  writing 
which  is  called  **  hieroglyphics."    What  a  puzzle  it  must  have 

16 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS      17 

been  to  read  these  pages  of  the  clay  tablets  made  thousands 
of  years  ago!  But  patient  men  made  them  out  little  by 
little  and  when  they  were  all  translated  into  our  language  it 
was  found  to  be  a  kind  of  ancient  hymn  book  containing 
songs  which  the  people  of  long  ago  sang  to  the  sun  god. 
Some  of  the  verses  run  something  like  this : 

"Hail  to  thee,  O  Sun-god,  the  self-existent! 
Glorious  is  thy  uprising  from  the  horizon. 
Both  worlds  are  lighted  by  thy  rays 
All  men  rejoice  to  see  thee  marching  in  majesty. 
Thy  splendor  is  beyond  our  understanding, 
And  is  given  to  us  anew  every  morning. 
Hail  to  thee,  who  makest  glad  the  lands, 
And  all  the  towns  and  temples. 
With  the  blessings  of  thy  goodness. 
Hail  to  thee,  Sun-god,  when  thou  returnest  home. 
Renewed  in  beauty,  crowned,  and  almighty." 

These  ancient  Egyptians  made  some  great  mistakes,  but 
they  learned  a  good  deal  of  truth  about  God,  by  study- 
ing about  what  they  could  see  of  him  in  nature. 

Men  Have  Everywhere  and  Alv^ays  Felt  God's 
Presence  in  Nature.  At  the  time  that  the  Egyptians  in 
their  sunny  land  were  catching  some  glimpses  of  the  great- 
ness and  majesty  of  God  through  his  works,  far  away  on 
the  plains  of  India  other  people  who  had  never  heard  of 
Egypt,  were  thinking  about  the  same  things  and  coming  to 
like  conclusions.  Away  up  north,  in  the  land  of  ice  and 
snow,  the  Eskimos  were  probably  watching  along  their  deso- 
late shores  for  the  coming  of  the  herds  of  seals  on  which 
their  lives  depended.  They  were  sure  that  Some  One, 
dwelling  somewhere  far  beyond  the  horizons  of  floating  ice, 
some  unseen  and  mysterious  .  Power,  would  not  fail  them, 
but  would  send  them  food  in  due  season.  Down  on  the 
other  side  of  the  world,  in  Australia,  the  little  black  man  of 
the  bush  saw  the  southern  lights  streaming  across  the  sky, 
and  he  believed  that  they  were  the  flickering  reflections  of 
the  camp  fires  in  the  land  where  the  spirits  of  his  fore- 
fathers were  dwelling  and  feasting.  Perhaps  at  that  very 
time  the  ancestors  of  the  American  Indians  were  listening 
to  the  thunder  of  Niagara  and  speaking  in  awed  tones  of 
Gitchee  Manitou,  the  mighty. 


18      INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

The)  Bible  and  the  God  of  Nature 

The  Bible  Gives  Clear  and  Abundant  Pictures  of  the 
God  Who  Is  Present  in  Nature.  The  little  glimpses 
of  God  which  the  Egyptian,  the  Eskimo,  and  the  Indian 
caught  of  God  in  his  works,  in  the  Bible,  become  clear  and 
true  visions  of  the  great  Creator.  The  first  people  spoken  of 
made  many  mistakes  about  God's  presence  in  nature,  but  the 
poets  and  prophets  who  wrote  the  Bible  were  lifted  to  re- 
liable conclusions  concerning  him. 

An  Old  Testament  Poem  About  God.  The  Old  Testa- 
ment has  many  beautiful  passages  telling  about  God's  pres- 
ence in  all  his  works.  We  are  to  study  two  such  passages 
from  The  Psalms.  Let  us  consider  a  few  of  the  things  the 
natural  world  told  the  writers  of  these  ancient  poems  about 
the  Creator,  God. 

Clothed  with  Light.  "  Who  coverest  thyself  with  light 
as  with  a  garment."  Light  is  one  of  the  most  wonderful 
things  in  the  universe.  It  is  worthy  of  the  poet's  figure  of 
speech  which  makes  it  the  substance  of  the  garments  of 
God.  Every  little  sunbeam  is  so  small  that  its  waves  have 
to  be  measured  in  millionths  of  an  inch.  Millions  of  the 
stars  are  so  far  away  that  the  most  powerful  telescope 
can  make  of  them  nothing  but  the  faintest  points  of  light. 
Yet  what  w^onderful  messages  these  faint  light  rays  bring! 
They  are  messages  from  the  stars.  They  tell  us  some- 
thing about  the  size  of  the  stars  from  which  they  come, 
their  movements,  their  distance  from  our  earth,  the  sub- 
stances of  which  they  are  composed.  The  next  time  you 
see  the  sunlight  sweeping  across  the  fields  and  woods  as 
the  storm  clouds  break  away,  or  when  you  see  the  after- 
sunset  glow  thrown  on  the  western  sky,  think  of  what 
the  Bible  says  about  light  being  the  garment  of  God. 

The  Caretaker  of  the  Universe.  The  winds,  clouds, 
fire,  earth,  and  ocean  are  the  instruments  which  God 
uses  to  care  for  the  world  he  has  created.  Through 
them  he  gives  "  drink  to  every  beast  of  the  field." 
Through  them  he  causes  "  the  grass  to  grow  for  the  cattle." 
Through  them  he  gives  food  to  men.  He  is  the  home  giver 
to  all  creatures  of  the  earth.  The  psalmist  thinks  of  a 
God  who  cares  for  things  exceeding  small.     He  made  the 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS      19 

great  Lebanon  cedars  for  the  little  birds  that  build  their 
nests  there.  He  made  the  beautiful  firs  for  the  storks.  He 
made  the  rugged  cliffs  of  the  mountains  to  be  the  dwelling 
places  of  the  wild  goats.  He  made  the  cracks  and  crevices 
among  the  rocks  for  the  timid  little  conies,  that  they  might 
dwell  there  safely. 

God  Always  Present.  We  can  never  escape  from  God's 
presence.  He  knows  all  about  us  and  he  sees  us  every 
moment  of  our  lives. 

"  Whither  shall  I  go  from  thy  Spirit? 
Or  whither  shall  I  flee  from  thy  presence? 
If  I  ascend  up  into  heaven,  thou  art  there: 
If  I  make  my  bed  in  Sheol,  behold,  thou  art  there. 
If  I  take  the  wings  of  the  morning, 
And  dwell  in  the  uttermost  parts  of  the  sea; 
Even  there  shall  thy  hand  lead  me, 
And  thy  right  hand  shall  hold  me." 

— Ps.  139:7-10. 

God's  Presence  Still  Seen  in  Nature.  It  is  not  alone 
among  the  people  of  long  ago  and  among  the  writers  of  the 
Bible  that  God's  presence  has  been  felt  in  nature.  The 
greatest  men  and  women  of  our  own  times  have  given  the 
same  testimony.  "  When  I  lie  on  my  bed  at  night  and  listen 
to  the  cooling  drip  of  the  rain,"  said  Joseph  Parker,  "  I 
know  that  God  is,  and  that  he  is  good."  The  poet  Tennyson 
said  that  the  "  flower  in  the  crannied  wall "  carried  a  mes- 
sage so  wonderful  that,  were  he  able  to  read  it  all,  he  would 
"  know  what  God  and  man  is." 

The  poet  Coleridge  has  some  beautiful  verses  telling  us 
the  message  the  glaciers,  forests,  and  wild  flowers  of  the 
Alps  gave  to  him : 

Ye  ice-falls!  ye  that  from  the  mountain's  brow 
Adown  enormous  ravines  slope  amain — 
Torrents,  methinks,  that  heard  a  mighty  voice, 
And  stopped,  at  once,  amid  their  maddest  plunge! 
Motionless  torrents!  silent  cataracts! 
Who  made  you  glorious  as  the  gates  of  heaven 
Beneath  the  keen,  full  moon?    Who  bade  the  sun 
Clothe  you  with  rainbows?     Who,  with  living  flowers 
Of  loveliest  blue,  spread  garlands  at  your  feet? — 
"God!"  let  the  torrents,  like  a  shout  of  nations, 
Answer!  and  let  the  ice  plains  echo  "God!" 


20      INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

"  God!  "  sing,  ye  meadow  streams,  with  gladsome  voice! 
Ye  pine  groves,  with  your  soft  and  soul-like  sounds! 
And  they,  too,  have  a  voice,  yon  piles  of  snow. 
And  in  their  perilous  fall  shall  thunder  "God!" 

Ye  living  flowers  that  skirt  the  eternal  frost! 
Ye  wild  goats  sporting  round  the  eagle's  nest! 
Ye  eagles,  playmates  of  the  mountain  storm! 
Ye  lightnings,  dread  arrows  of  the  clouds! 
Ye  signs  and  wonders  of  the  elements! 
Utter  forth,  "  God!  "  and  fill  the  hills  with  praise! 

From  "  Hymn  Before  Sunrise,"  by  S.  T.  ColERIDgE. 

God's    Presence    in    Nature    a    Demonstrated    Truth. 

Since  the  great  majority  of  mankind  has  felt  something 
which  led  them  to  believe  that  God  was  dwelling  in  all  the 
earth,  since  this  feeling  has  existed  among  all  classes  of 
people  scattered  all  over  the  world,  and  since  it  has  grown 
stronger  and  clearer  with  man's  advance  in  knowledge  and 
civilization,  have  we  not  all  the  greater  reason  to  feel  that 
the  Bible  pictures  of  an  ever-present  God  are  true?  If  we 
think  of  God's  presence  in  all  that  we  see  and  hear  out  in 
the  natural  world,  we  shall  soon  come  to  have  a  deeper  joy 
in  the  fields,  in  the  ocean,  or  in  the  mountains.  They  will 
be  telling  us  continually  something  of  their  great  Creator's 
abiding  presence  in  them.  We  shall  find  ourselves  walking 
"  in  the  light,  as  he  is  in  the  light,"  having  fellowship  one 
with  another. 

God's  Me:ssage  in  a  Flowkr 

A  certain  man  by  the  name  of  Charney  was  living  in 
France  at  the  time  when  that  country  was  ruled  by  Napoleon 
Bonaparte.  He  was  a  man  of  great  learning,  but  he  did  not 
believe  in  God.  Like  a  good  many  other  men  of  his  day  he 
had  thrown  away  all  belief  in  religion.  With  wealth,  fame, 
and  many  friends  he  did  not  feel  any  great  need  for  God. 
Of  course  we  know  that  everyone  needs  God  every  moment, 
but  this  Frenchman  did  not  know  that  he  needed  him. 

After  a  time  he  fell  under  the  displeasure  of  Napoleon. 
All  his  property  was  taken  from  him  and  he  was  cast  into 
prison.  The  cell  where  he  was  confined  was  a  dark  place 
with  just  a  little  light  coming  in  through  one  small  window, 
high  up  on  one  wall.     The  window  had  heavy  iron  bars 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS      21 

across  it,  to  prevent  any  prisoner  from  crawling  through. 
Here  the  imprisoned  man  spent  all  his  hours,  with  nothing 
to  do  but  think  about  things.  Once  a  day  the  keeper  of  the 
prison  brought  him  a  little  coarse  food,  and  once  a  day  he 
was  allowed  to  go  out  into  a  little  court  and  walk  about  for 
an  hour. 

At  first  Mr.  Charney  thought  that  his  friends  would  soon 
secure  his  liberation.  But  day  after  day,  week  after  week 
passed.  His  friends  did  not  come.  They  were  unbelievers, 
like  himself,  and  people  need  faith  in  God  to  make  them  true 
friends.  They  did  not  wish  to  risk  offending  Napoleon  so 
they  didn't  say  anything  to  anyone  about  Charney  or  even 
let  it  be  known  that  they  knew  him. 

The  poor  prisoner  grew  very  sad,  as  he  saw  that  he  was 
forsaken  by  all  his  former  friends  and  admirers.  One  day 
he  dug  out  a  little  piece  of  limy  plaster  from  between  the 
stones  of  his  prison  and  wrote  on  the  wall,  "  Nobody  Cares." 
With  great  labor  he  made  little  niches  in  the  wall  and 
climbed  up  to  his  one  small  window,  hoping  for  a  peep  of 
the  outside  world,  but  there  was  nothing  to  be  seen  except 
another  gray  wall  a  few  feet  away.  Oh,  for  something  just 
a  little  different,  a  mouse  to  come  out  upon  his  prison  floor, 
the  song  of  a  bird,  or  one  blade  of  green  grass ! 

One  day,  as  he  was  walking  over  the  stone  pavement  of 
his  little  walled  court,  he  stopped  short,  looking  down  at 
something  near  his  feet.  He  dropped  on  his  knees  and  ex- 
amined it  more  closely.  It  was  only  a  tiny  shoot  of  green 
pushing  up  through  the  earth  between  the  stones  of  the 
pavement;  but  somehow  it  made  him  glad.  That  night  he 
slept  more  peacefully  than  for  many  a  month.  The  next 
day,  as  soon  as  he  was  released  from  his  cell,  he  hurried  to 
his  plant.  Yes,  it  was  still  there.  Day  by  day  he  watched 
it  and  watered  it  from  the  small  bottle  of  water  left  for  him 
every  day  by  the  keeper  of  the  prison.  At  last  a  little  flower 
bud  appeared ;  it  grew  larger ;  and  one  day  he  found  there 
a  lovely  flower  with  a  little  star  in  its  center,  a  crown  of 
golden  stamens  and  petals  as  blue  as  the  sky. 

Hope  and  gladness  came  into  his  soul  once  more.  That 
night  he  happened  to  notice  for  the  first  time  in  many 
months  the  words  he  had  written  on  his  prison  wall,  "  No- 


22      INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

body  Cares."    He  went  up  and  rubbed  them  out ;  then  he 
wrote  in  their  place  the  words,  "  God  Cares." 
— From  a  story  in  **  Children's  Sermons,"  by  H.  T.  Kerr. 


SUNDAY  SESSION 

GOD'S  PRESENCE  IN  OUR  LIVES 
Psalm  91 

We  have  seen  that  the  creation  of  man  was  the  crowning 
act  of  God's  creative  power.  We  have  also  considered  facts 
which  show  that  God's  presence  dwells  in  objects  and  pro- 
cesses of  nature  which  are  external  to  man.  If  God's  Spirit 
is  within  the  ocean,  in  the  animal  and  vegetable  life  of  the 
world,  is  it  not  reasonable  to  believe  that  his  Spirit  dwells 
in  the  creatures  which  he  has  made  in  his  own  likeness, 
made  so  much  like  himself  that  he  can  talk  with  them  and 
they  with  him,  made  so  much  like  him  that  they  can  thiv]l<. 
his  thoughts  after  him,  just  as  you  can  think  thoughts  like 
the  thoughts  of  your  parents  ? 

It  is  not  only  reasonable  to  believe  that  this  would  be  the 
case,  but  multitudes  of  people  say  that  it  is  true.  The  men 
and  women  who  have  been  most  truly  great  in  all  history 
have  believed  that  God  was  directing  them,  aiding  their 
efforts,  dwelling  within  their  lives  constantly. 

God's  Presence  in  the  Lives  of  BibeE  Heroes 

Abraham,  the  Altar  Builder.  You  have  studied  many  of 
the  Old  Testament  stories  and  you  will  remember  about 
Abraham.  You  will  recall  how  he  left  his  native  land  to 
strike  out  into  the  unknown  regions  of  the  west,  in  answer 
to  God's  commandment.  He  dwelt  in  tents,  and  moved 
about  from  place  to  place  with  his  flocks,  but  everywhere 
he  went  he  felt  that  God  was  with  him;  everywhere  he 
pitched  his  camp,  he  built  an  altar  of  stone,  that  he  might 
worship  Jehovah.  So  intimate  did  Abraham's  fellowship 
with  God  seem  to  be  that  he  came  to  be  known  as  *'  the 
Friend  of  God." 

Jacob  Discovers  That  God  Is  Near.     You  have  heard 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS      23 

the  story  of  how  Jacob,  fleeing-  from  his  angry  brother  lay 
down  at  sunset  in  the  valley  of  Luz,  how  he  had  a  wonder- 
ful dream  in  which  he  saw  a  ladder  reaching  up  to  heaven, 
with  angels  ascending  and  descending.  In  the  morning 
Jacob  arose  -and  said,  "  Surely  Jehovah  is  in  this  place ;  and 
I  knew  it  not."  Jacob  never  quite  forgot  the  lesson  he 
learned  that  night,  for  he  knew  after  that  experience  how 
truly  God  can  be  with  one  wherever  he  goes.  When  he  was 
over  one  hundred  and  thirty  years  of  age  we  see  him  bless- 
ing his  two  grandsons,  the  children  of  Joseph,  and  telling 
them  and  their  father  that  God  would  be  with  them  and 
bring  them  back  to  the  land  he  had  promised  to  Abraham 
and  his  descendants  forever. 

Other  Old  Testament  Witnesses.  When  Joseph  made 
himself  known  to  his  brothers  he  said  to  them,  "  God  did 
send  me  before  you  to  preserve  life."  Looking  back  across 
the  years  of  slavery  and  imprisonment  he  could  see  that  God 
had  been  with  him  all  the  way.  After  forty  years  of  toil 
and  leadership  in  the  desert  wanderings,  Moses  bade  fare- 
well to  his  people  on  the  borders  of  Canaan.  We  are  told 
that  on  that  solemn  occasion  he  made  a  great  oration  to  the 
nation,  and  recited  a  beautiful  poem.  The  words  of  Moses 
show  that  he  was  aware  of  how  much  he  owed  to  the  pres- 
ence of  God  with  him.  It  was  Jehovah  who  had  guided  the 
people  in  the  wilderness,  who  had  cared  for  them  and 
watched  over  them  as  an  eagle  watches  over  her  young. 
And  so  it  was  with  Joshua,  Gideon,  David,  and  the  prophets ; 
they  all  realized  that  God  was  present,  interested  in  their 
undertakings,  giving  counsel  and  help. 

God  Present  Now  Just  as  in  Biblk  Times 
We  must  not  think  that  as  soon  as  the  Bible  was  com- 
pleted, God  ceased  to  be  present  in  the  lives  of  men.  People 
have  become  more  conscious  than  ever  of  the  presence  of 
God  in  their  lives  as  the  centuries  have  passed.  Thousands 
now  living,  looking  back,  can  say,  "  I  know  God  lives  and 
that  he  has  been  with  me  all  the  days  of  my  life." 

A  Great  Inventor's  Testimony.  Professor  Morse  la- 
bored for  years  to  perfect  the  telegraph.  He  was  often 
without  food  and  had  to  wear  the  poorest  clothing  and  to 
live  in  a  garret.     No  one  thought  that  he  would  ever  make 


24      INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

anything  worth  while.  Many  thought  that  he  was  half 
crazy.  When  the  great  invention  was  at  last  completed 
and  the  time  came  to  send  the  first  message,  the  operator 
asked  Professor  Morse  what  it  should  be.  The  message  was 
chosen  from  a  verse  of  the  Bible  and  it  was  these  words, 
"  What  hath  God  wrought."  The  great  inventor  seemed 
to  know  that  God  had  been  his  Helper,  and  that  the  credit 
for  the  invention  belonged  to  God  rather  than  to  himself. 

A  Captain's  Testimony.  In  the  naval  battle  of  Santiago, 
fought  during  our  war  with  Spain,  the  battleship  Texas  was 
in  the  thickest  of  the  conflict.  Some  of  the  great  guns  of 
the  largest  Spanish  ships  were  trained  upon  her.  Their 
shrieking  stream  of  shells  swept  first  across  the  bow  of  the 
Texas,  then  across  her  stern,  then  just  over  her  decks. 
When  the  battle  was  over  and  the  sailors  and  marines 
gathered  on  the  decks  it  was  found  that  not  one  was  miss- 
ing, not  one  was  even  seriously  hurt.  The  men  began  to 
cheer,  but  Captain  Philip,  raising  his  hand,  stilled  the  shout- 
ing and  looking  across  the  water  where  a  Spanish  warship 
was  foundering,  he  said,  "  Don't  cheer  boys,  those  poor 
fellows  are  dying."  Then  he  added,  "  I  want  you  men  to 
know  that  I  believe  in  God.  Uncover !  "  At  the  command 
every  cap  came  off,  then  with  bowed  heads,  while  the  smoke 
of  battle  still  hung  low  over  the  waters,  they  repeated  to- 
gether The  Lord's  Prayer. 

Red  Elk  :  A  Tale  oe  the  Nez  Perce  War 

Red  Elk  was  a  young  Nez  Perce  Indian.  He  had  lived 
all  his  life  on  the  prairie  highlands  and  along  the  clear 
rushing  rivers  of  what  is  now  northern  Idaho  and  eastern 
Washington.  A  few  years  before  our  story  begins,  mis- 
sionaries had  come  among  the  Nez  Perces  and  some  mem- 
bers of  the  tribe  had  become  converts  to  Christianity.  Some 
of  Red  Elk's  friends  were  among  these  converts.  His  boon 
companion.  Lone  Wolf,  had  accepted  the  new  faith,  cut  off 
his  long  black  braids,  and  assumed  the  Christian  name, 
Moses  Williams.  But  Red  Elk  was  a  pagan  Indian  still, 
and  proud  of  it.  He  held  to  the  traditions  of  his  ancestors ; 
he  believed  in  the  spirits,  good  and  evil,  that  dwelt  in  river 
and  forest,  in  animals  and  birds. 

After  a  while  dreadful  times  came  on.    Trouble  between 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS      25 

the  white  settlers  and  the  Indians,  long  brewing,  broke  out 
into  open  war.  Then  the  Christian  Indians  were  sorely 
tested.  Should  they  take  part  in  the  attacks  upon  the  settle- 
ments ?  .  Moses  Williams  and  others  heroically  counseled 
peace  at  the  council  fires.  They  told  of  the  great  Teacher 
who  had  taught  us  to  love  our  enemies  and  to  pray  for  those 
who  use  us  despitefuUy.  The  advice  of  the  Christian  Indians 
was  rejected  with  shouts  of  derision,  and  war  parties  swept 
all  the  countryside  with  fire  and  destruction. 

The  Indians  were  not  to  have  things  all  their  own  way  for 
long,  however.  One  day  long  lines  of  marching  soldiers 
with  horses  and  cannon  began  to  come  across  the  summit  of 
Craig's  Mountain.  The  Indians  retreated  to  their  strong- 
holds in  the  canyon.  They  soon  found  that  their  ancestral 
fortress  from  which  they  had  bidden  defiance  from  time 
immemorial  to  their  enemies,  the  Snakes  and  the  Shoshones, 
was  no  place  of  safety  against  white  men  with  long-range 
cannon. 

The  commanding  general  of  the  white  men  had  thrown 
his  troops  around  three  sides  of  the  Indian  encampment, 
and  on  the  third  side  was  the  rugged  wall  of  the  Bitter  Root 
Mountains.  He  expected  to  capture  the  whole  tribe,  but  all 
at  once  the  Indians  were  all  gone.  "  Where  in  the  world  are 
those  Indians  ? "  said  the  general  to  some  of  his  scouts. 
"  What  has  become  of  them  ?  "  The  scout  replied  that  they 
had  probably  taken  the  Lolo  trail,  leading  to  the  country  east 
of  the  mountains.  Such  was,  indeed,  the  case.  The  whole 
tribe  had  escaped  over  a  rugged  and  tortuous  trail  which 
their  ancestors  had  followed  on  hunting  trips  for  thousands 
of  years. 

The  American  army  followed.  A  portion  of  it,  pushing 
on  in  advance,  was  suddenly  attacked  by  the  Indians  in  the 
Big  Hole  and  driven  back,  but  with  the  coming  of  the  main 
army  the  Indians  were  compelled  to  continue  their  flight. 
They  turned  north  and  made  for  the  Canadian  boundary. 
Beyond  that  line  lay  the  land  of  freedom,  where  the  pur- 
suing army  could  not  follow  them.  Within  half  a  day's 
ride  of  the  boundary  they  were  surrounded,  and  Chief 
Joseph  surrendered  his  army  and  his  tribe  to  General  Miles. 

Many  of  the  Indians,  Red  Elk  among  them,  were  loaded 
into  freight  cars  and  taken  away,  but  not  to  their  former 


26      INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

homes  on  the  Columbian  highlands,  as  they  had  expected. 
They  traveled  many  days  and  were  at  last  dumped  down  in 
a  flat  prairie  country,  of  which  they  had  never  heard.  They 
were  in  a  part  of  the  Indian  Territory  which  had  been  as- 
signed to  them.  They  did  not  know  how  to  gain  a  liveli- 
hood in  such  a  country  where  there  were  no  deer  and  bear 
to  hunt,  no  rivers  full  of  salmon  and  trout  and  whitefish. 
Summer  came  on  with  a  heat  such  as  they  had  never  experi- 
enced on  their  cool  highlands.  Fever  broke  out  in  the  little 
band  of  captives  a  thousand  miles  from  home.  Day  by  day 
their  numbers  dwindled  as  the  dreaded  fever  did  its  work. 
Red  Elk  was  stricken.  Day  after  day  he  tossed  in  wild  de- 
lirium, speaking  ever  of  the  cold  waters  of  the  Red  Rock 
spring  that  gushed  out  of  the  cliff  beside  his  father's  tepee. 

Little  by  little  the  stricken  Indian  became  conscious  of  a 
kind  and  ministering  presence.  Some  one  cooled  his  fevered 
brow  and  smoothed  his  pillow.  It  was  a  young  man,  a  mis- 
sionary to  the  imprisoned  Nez  Perces.  As  Red  Elk  grew 
stronger  this  young  missionary  sat  beside  him  and  they 
talked  together  of  the  far-away  home  for  which  the  heart 
of  the  young  Indian  was  pining.  They  did  net  talk  much, 
for  that  is  pot  the  Indian  way.  They  often  sat  for  long 
periods  at  a  time  and  said  nothing  at  all. 

One  day  the  young  missionary  said,  "  Red  Elk,  do  you 
know  that  I  have  been  trying  for  a  long  time  to  get  the 
government  to  let  you  people  go  back  home,  and  I  believe 
I  am  going  to  succeed  ?  "  The  Indian  said  not  a  word,  but 
the  muscles  of  his  brawny,  shrunken  cheeks  quivered  just  a 
little,  and  there  were  tears  in  his  eyes.  He  was  weak  with 
fever,  you  know ;  an  Indian  brave  ought  not  to  cry. 

In  due  time  the  tribe  went  home  from  "  the  hot  land  " 
where  so  many  of  their  number  had  passed  to  the  great  be- 
yond. Years  afterwards,  the  missionary  visited  an  Indian 
village  beside  the  rushing  waters  of  the  Kooskooskie  in  the 
land  of  the  Nez  Perces.  He  visited  the  Indian  church,  and 
after  the  service  an  officer  of  the  church  came  up  and  greeted 
him.  "  I  am  Red  Elk,"  said  he.  **  I  have  become  a  Christian 
and  am  an  officer  in  this  church.  I  have  taken  the  Jesus 
religion  and  its  God  because  I  saw  more  of  God  in  you  than 
[  have  ever  seen  in  any  other  thing  or  person." 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS      27 

The:  Lksson  Prayer 

Our  Father  in  heaven,  we  are  glad  that  thou  art  our 
Friend  and  Companion.  We  are  glad  to  know  that  thou 
art  with  us  everywhere  and  all  the  time.  Help  us  to  make 
right  choices.  When  we  are  about  to  choose  our  life  work 
or  about  to  make  other  important  decisions  may  we  have 
thy  guidance.  May  we  hear  thy  voice  saying,  "  This  is  the 
way,  walk  ye  in  it."  Help  us  to  live  unselfishly.  We  ask  in 
the  name  of  thy  Son,  our  Saviour.    Amen. 

The:  Lksson  Hymn 

"  Lord  of  all  being,  throned  afar, 
Thy  glory  flames  from  sun  and  star; 
Center  and  soul  of  every  sphere, 
Yet  to  each  loving  heart  now  near!" 


EXPRESSIONAL  SESSION 

WHAT  GOD'S  PRESENCE  IN  OUR  LIVES  MAY  MEAN 

FOR  OURSELVES  AND  OTHERS.     HOW  WE  CAN 

HELP  TO  MAKE  GOD'S  PRESENCE  IN  NATURE 

SPIRITUALLY  UPLIFTING  TO  OURSELVES 

AND  TO  OTHERS 

Job,  chs.  38,  39 ;  Psalm  24 
Suggestions  for  the:  Lkadkr's  Opening  Address 

We  have  been  studying  about  God's  presence  in  nature 
and  in  our  own  lives.  It  is  a  good  thing  for  us  to  know 
these  facts,  but  the  most  important  thing  for  us  is  the  effect 
which  the  learning  of  these  facts  has  on  our  lives.  For 
my  part,  it  seems  to  be  true  that  God  is  in  a  person's  life 
just  as  far  as  that  person  permits  him  to  be.  He  has  given 
us  power  of  choice.  If  we  let  him  come  into  our  lives,  he 
will  come  in  to  guide  us  and  to  help  us  to  overcome  diffi- 
culties. If  we  refuse  to  hear  his  commandments  and  live 
as  if  he  did  not  exist,  he  cannot  be  in  our  lives  in  so  true 
a  sense  as  he  is  in  the  lives  of  those  who  love  him  and  obey 
him. 


28      INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

When  I  read  the  story  about  the  young  Nez  Perce  Indian, 
I  think  I  understood  better  than  I  ever  had  before,  how  God 
can  reveal  himself  perfectly  only  through  beings  like  him- 
self. The  Indian  learned  some  things  about  God  in  the 
forests  and  mountains,  but  it  was  not  until  he  met  a  man 
who  had  God's  spirit  that  he  became  a  true  believer  in  God. 

Study  Topics 

1.  God's  Help  in  Making  Important  Decisions.  Ex. 
14:15-20. 

2.  God's  Help  in  Times  of  Discouragement.  I  Kings 
19  :l-8. 

3.  Need  of  God's  Presence  in  Times  of  Prosperity. 
I  Kings  10:23-29;  11:4-8. 

4.  A  Military  Leader  Made  Strong  by  a  Sense  of 
God's  Presence.    Judg.  7  :l-23. 

5.  How  We  Can  Help  to  Make  and  Keep  our  City  or 
Community  a  Beautiful  Place  in  Which  to  Live. 

6.  Some  Great  Nature  Poems  of  the  World,  and  What 
Their  Authors  Thought  About  God. 

Vkrsivs  for  Usk  in  the:  Me;h:ting 

Psalm  29,  The  Voice  of  God  in  the  Storm;  S.  of  Sol. 
2:11-13;  The  Coming  of  Spring,  Josh.  1:5,  God's  Promise 
to  Joshua.  Pupils  may  look  up  other  verses  telling  of  God's 
presence  in  nature  and  with  man. 

Committees  to  Be  Appointed 

An  Invitation  Committee  to  call  on  all  boys  and  girls 
of  the  Intermediate  age  who  were  discovered  in  the  sur- 
veys made  last  week  and  to  invite  them  to  become  mem- 
bers of  the  class.  A  Flower  Committee  to  see  that  the 
church  services  are  supplied  with  flowers  and  greenery, 
and  to  take  bouquets  to  hospitals  and  to  people  who  are 
sick  at  home.  An  Outing  Committee  to  consider  the 
feasibility  of  the  class  undertaking  to  give  outings  to  poor 
children  and  their  mothers  during  the  hot  months  of 
summer. 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS      29 

Things  to  Be:  DoNit  by  Individual  Me^mbe^rs  o^  th^ 
Class  or  by  Committe:e:s 

1.  Find  out  about  the  work  of  the  Audubon  societies. 

2.  Find  out  about  the  work  of  the  Wild  Flower  Pro- 
tection Association. 

3.  Find  out  about  the  National  Parks  of  the  United 
States  and  their  natural  wonders. 

The:  Class  Code: 

The  Law  of  Reverence  for  God's  Works.     God  is  the 

Maker  of  the  earth  and  the  Creator  of  man.    Therefore : 

L     We  will  not  mar  the  things  of  the  earth  which  God 
has  made,  neither  will  we  abuse  our  rulership  over  them. 

2.  We  will  honor  all  mankind  as  brothers  without  regard 
to  race  or  condition,  since  one  God  created  us  all. 

3.  We  will  endeavor  to  see  more  of  God  in  the  works 
of  nature  and  to  keep  his  presence  with  us  by  doing  his  will. 


CHAPTER  III 

THE  RIGHTEOUS  GOD 

WEEK  DAY  SESSION 

SIN  MARS  GOD'S  WORK  AND  MENACES  HIS  PLAN 

Gen.,  ch.  3;  4:1-15 

We  come  now  to  consider  the  difference  between  Jehovah, 
the  God  whom  the  Jews  knew  and  worshiped,  and  the 
imaginary  deities  worshiped  by  the  Gentile  nations.  The 
Jews  early  came  to  think  of  their  God  as  eternal  in  his  ex- 
istence and  as  the  sole  Maker  and  Ruler  of  the  universe. 
Most  of  the  Gentiles  thought  of  their  gods  as  individuals 
in  a  great  company  of  divine  beings,  and  did  not  usually 
think  of  them  as  having  existed  always. 

But  that  which  sets  the  Jews'  idea  of  God  far  above  the 
ideas  of  pagan  peoples  is  the  character  which  the  Jews  early 
attached  to  their  God.  They  thought  of  him  as  perfect  in 
righteousness,  a  holy  Being  who  could  do  no  evil.  Other 
peoples  of  that  day  were  blindly  feeling  after  God,  but  the 
Hebrews  had  found  him  and  were  learning  lessons  from 
him,  lessons  which  they  were  to  give  to  the  world  through 
their  prophets  and  historians  and  poets. 

The  third  chapter  of  Genesis  tells  us  about  the  beginning 
of  sin  in  the  world  which  God  had  made  and  wh!jh  he,  in 
infinite  wisdom,  had  pronounced  **  very  good."  The  great 
value  of  this  chapter  lies  in  its  messages  concerning  the 
reality,  subtlety,  and  results  of  sin. 

The  Reality  of  Sin.  It  is  a  dangerous  thing  for  men 
and  women  to  believe  that  there  is  no  such  thing  as  sin,  that 
it  is  only  a  kind  of  "  mental  error."  Sin  is  a  terrible  reality. 
We  have  to  take  it  into  account  and  to  be  on  our  guard 
against  it  all  the  time.  The  Bible  gives  us  a  picture  of 
the  terrific  struggle  of  mankind  with  sin.  In  the  beginning 
sin  did  not  seem  very  great,  just  a  little  act  of  disobedience, 
but  look  at  the  next  chapter  and  see  how  it  has  grown. 

30 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS      31 

Read  the  story  of  Cain  and  Abel.  As  we  go  on  with  our 
study  of  the  Bible  we  shall  see  sin  sowing  sorrow  and 
disaster.  We  shall  see  heroic  men  like  David  falling  be- 
fore it.  We  shall  see  it  wrecking  nations.  At  its  high-water 
mark  in  the  world,  we  shall  see  it  nailing  God's  Son  to  the 
cross. 

The  Subtle  Approach  of  Sin.  The  Bible  narrative  is 
a  true  picture  of  the  fall  of  a  soul  into  evil.  There  is  the 
turning  of  the  mind  away  from  the  multitude  of  right  and 
good  actions  to  the  one  forbidden  thing,  the  steadfast  seeing 
of  it,  the  whispered  suggestions  that  it  is  good  and  pleasant 
and  desirable,  and  that  evil  consequences,  which  may  pos- 
sibly follow,  will  in  some  way  be  escaped. 

The  Results  of  Sin.  Sin  brings  guilt  which  causes  us 
to  hide  from  God.  It  makes  us  weak  and  cowardly,  selfish 
and  foolish.  How  selfish  and  cowardly  of  Adam  to  try  to 
lay  the  blame  on  Eve !  How  weak,  selfish,  and  cowardly  for 
Cain  to  whimper,  in  answer  to  God's  mild  punishment  for 
his  hideous  crime :  "  My  punishment  is  greater  than  I  can 
bear.  Behold,  thou  hast  driven  me  out  this  day  from  the 
face  of  the  ground ;  and  from  thy  face  shall  I  be  hid ;  and  I 
shall  be  a  fugitive  and  a  wanderer  in  the  earth ;  and  it  will 
come  to  pass,  that  whosoever  findeth  me  will  slay  me."  His 
thought  is  all  of  self.  He  mentions  himself  seven  times  in 
this  brief  statement.  His  guilty  fears  people  the  uninhabited 
wilderness  with  imaginary  dangers.  Sin  had  broken  down 
his  manhood ;  he  had  become  Cain  the  coward. 

The  Nature  of  Sin.  The  Bible  tells  us  that  sin  is  law- 
lessness. This  means  something  more  than  that  sin  is  the 
breaking  of  law.  It  means  that  sin  lies  outside  that  uni- 
versal rule  of  law  through  which  God  rules  the  universe. 
It  is  not  natural  that  a  being  created  in  God's  image  should 
sin. 

The  Greeks  called  sin  by  a  word  which  means,  "  missing 
the  mark,"  because  they  felt  that  sin  caused  a  man  to  do 
that  very  thing,  miss  his  mark,  miss  the  high  attainments  he 
has  set  for  himself  and  the  high  destinies  God  has  prepared 
for  him.  The  inmates  of  our  prisons  and  almshouses  were 
many  of  them  bright  and  promising  boys  and  girls.  Most 
of  them  owe  their  missing  of  life's  mark  to  sin  and  to  sin 
only. 


32      INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

Mark  Twain's  "  Good  Little  Boy  " 

Mark  Twain  once  wrote  a  foolish  little  tale  about  a  "  good 
little  boy."  The  story  was  "  made  up."  Many  "  made-up  " 
stories  are  true  in  the  sense  that  their  teaching  is  true.  But 
this  story  of  Mark  Twain's  did  not  teach  the  truth.  It  held 
up  the  good  little  boy  to  ridicule  and  intimated  that  he  was 
good  because  he  was  too  weak  to  be  bad.  Now  that  is  not 
true  of  one  boy  in  thousands.  But  many  boys,  and  girls,  too, 
are  found  doing  bad  things  because  they  are  too  weak  to  do 
what  they  know  to  be  right.  It  takes  heroic  strength  to  do 
right  under  all  circumstances,  while  it  is  often  very  easy  to 
go  with  a  crowd  to  do  evil.  If  Mark  Twain  wished  to  write 
a  story  about  a  "  good  boy,"  why  didn't  he  write  about  little 
Arthur  who  was  brave  enough  to  do  what  was  right  even 
though  Tom  Brown  and  all  the  other  boys  laughed  at  him? 
Why  didn't  he  choose  Daniel  or  David  or  Sir  Galahad  or  the 
young  Knight  Cedric? 

Boys  and  girls  who  are  willing  to  stand  alone  and  do  the 
right  even  when  others  do  wrong  and  ridicule  them  for  their 
doing  the  right  grow  into  heroic  men  and  women  who  count 
for  righteousness  and  human  progress.  Our  greatest  vic- 
tories for  justice  and  liberty  and  progress  were  won  by  men 
and  women  who  had  grown  strong  through  thinking  right 
thoughts  and  doing  right  deeds  as  boys  and  girls. 

"  Count  me  o'er  earth's   chosen   heroes — they  were   souls   that 

stood  alone, 
While   the   men    they   agonized    for   hurled    the    contumelious 

stone, 
Stood    serene    and    down    the    future    saw    the    golden    beam 

incline, 
To  the  side  of  perfect  justice,  mastered  by  their  faith  divine, 
By  one  man's  plain  truth  to  manhood  and  to  God's  supreme 

design." 

Dr.  Jekyll  and  Mr.  Hyde 

Robert  Louis  Stevenson  has  written  a  "  made-up  "  story 
that  is  true  to  life.  It  is  true  to  life  because  it  teaches  some 
great  facts  which  thousands  of  men  and  women  have  seen 
in  their  own  lives  and  in  the  lives  of  other  people.  Doctor 
Jekyll  was  a  kind-hearted  physician.  He  spent  a  great 
deal  of  time  caring  for  people  who  were  too  poor  to  pay  him 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS      33 

much  for  his  services,  but  he  felt  that  their  gratitude  and 
their  love  repaid  him  better  than  any  money  they  could  have 
given  him.  He  was  especially  fond  of  little  children  and 
always  had  a  group  of  them  about  him. 

One  day  this  physician  was  experimenting  with  a  new 
drug.  He  swallowed  the  mixture,  and  a  wonderful  change 
came  over  him.  He  ceased  to  be  the  good  Dr.  Jekyll  and 
became  a  low,  mean-spirited  criminal,  named  Mr.  Hyde. 
This  Mr.  Hyde  proved  to  be  a  thief  and  a  hater  of  little 
children.  When  the  effects  of  the  drug  wore  off  Dr.  Jekyll 
became  himself  again.  He  was  horrified  and  humiliated 
when  he  heard  of  the  wicked  things  this  Mr.  Hyde  had  done 
and  remembered  that  this  wicked  and  base  man  was  only 
himself  changed  over  into  another  person.  He  resolved  that 
never  again  should  such  a  thing  happen  to  him.  But  as  time 
went  on,  Dr.  Jekyll  wondered  about  the  thing  that  had  hap- 
pened more  and  more.  He  had  evidently  discovered  some 
drug  of  wondrous  power.  Why  not  try  the  experiment  just 
once  more  ? 

So  the  doctor  tried  the  drug  again.  This  time  Mr.  Hyde 
appeared  even  more  promptly  than  before  and  was  more 
vicious,  low,  and  mean  than  on  his  previous  visit.  Doctor 
Jekyll  again  felt  shame  and  remorse  at  the  doings  of  Mr. 
Hyde,  but  he  kept  saying  to  himself :  "I  can  rid  myself  of 
Mr.  Hyde  at  any  time.  I  will  try  the  experiment  this  one 
time  more;  then  I  will  be  through  with  it  forever."  But 
that  last  time  did  not  seem  to  come.  Indeed,  the  visits  of 
Mr.  Hyde  became  more  and  more  frequent.  The  time  came 
when  Dr.  Jekyll  was  Mr.  Hyde  more  than  half  the  time. 
Mr.  Hyde  was  now  master.  It  was  no  longer  necessary  for 
Dr.  Jekyll  to  take  the  drug  to  bring  on  the  transformation. 
Suddenly,  whether  he  wished  it  or  not,  he  would  find  that 
he  had  been  changed  into  the  hideous  Hyde,  and  he  could 
not  help  himself. 

One  day  the  neighbors,  who  had  been  more  and  more 
puzzled  and  amazed  at  the  frequent  visits  of  this  disre- 
putable-looking person  to  their  friend's  house,  became  con- 
vinced that  something  decidedly  wrong  had  taken  place  in 
the  Jekyll  mansion.  They  broke  into  the  house  and  found 
that  Dr.  Jekyll  was  dead,  while  the  mysterious  criminal 
whom  they  nad  seen  so  frequently  of  late  about  the  place 


34      INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

was  in  possession  of  everything  that  had  belonged  to  the 
doctor  and  was  claiming  it  as  his  own. 

Now  I  have  said  that  this  story  of  Mr.  Stevenson's  is  true. 
Can  you  tell  in  what  sense  it  is  true?  Of  course  there  never 
was  a  drug  that  could  do  what  the  drug  described  in  the 
story  did,  at  least  not  in  just  that  way.  But  there  are  cer- 
tain bad  habits  that  are  like  the  drug  of  which  the  story  tells. 
There  are  evil  acts  which  gradually  get  such  a  power  over 
us  that  we  become  their  slaves.  They  likewise  change  us 
gradually  until  we  become  very  different  persons  from  what 
we  were,  or  might  have  been ;  as  different  as  Mr.  Hyde  was 
from  Dr.  Jekyll. 

The  Bible  and  secular  history  tell  us  of  many  people  who 
missed  the  mark  through  sin,  people  who  might  have  been  a 
blessing  to  the  world,  but  whose  lives  were  worse  than 
wasted  through  evil  actions  and  base  passions.  Cain,  Herod, 
Judas,  Nero — these  were  all  wrecked  through  sin.  They 
stepped  downward,  not  upward,  away  from  the  light  not 
toward  it.  They  lived  Jekyll-Hyde  lives  in  which  evil  grew 
to  have  the  mastery  and  goodness  and  nobility  died. 

Once  a  wise  man  wrote  a  warning  to  those  who  would 
conquer  evil : 

"  My  son,  forget  not  my  law; 
But  let  thy  heart  keep  my  commandments: 
For  length  of  days,  and  years  of  life. 
And  peace,  will  they  add  to  thee. 
Let  not  kindness  and  truth  forsake  thee: 
Bind  them  about  thy  neck; 
Write  them  upon  the  tablet  of  thy  heart: 
So  shalt  thou  find  favor  and  good  understanding 
In  the  sight  of  God  and  man." 

— Prov.  3:1-4. 


SUNDAY  SESSION 

FIRST  GLIMPSES  OF  REDEEMING  GRACE 

Gen.  3  :9-21 

"Thou,  O  Jehovah,  art  our  Father;  our  Redeemer  from 
everlasting  is  thy  name." — Isa.  63  :16b. 

You  will  remember  that  God  had  made  man  in  his  own 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS      35 

likeness  that  there  might  be  fellowship  between  himself  and 
the  highest  of  his  creatures.  We  have  seen  how  sin  came 
in,  marring  the  character  of  man  and  menacing  the  plans 
of  God.  It  is  not  of  much  use  for  us  to  ask  why  God  per- 
mitted man  to  sin.  We  can  be  sure  that,  in  order  to  make 
man  in  his  own  likeness,  God  made  man  free  to  choose  be- 
tween good  and  evil.  The  Bible  tells  us  that  man  made  that 
choice,  for  himself,  and  that  he  chose  that  which  was  con- 
trary to  God's  commandment.  What  would  a  God  of  per- 
fect righteousness  do  when  the  highest  of  his  creatures, 
those  whom  he  had  made  to  have  communion  with  himself, 
fell  into  sin?  Would  he  shield  men  from  all  consequences 
of  sin  because  he  loved  them  ?  Would  he  leave  man  to  suffer 
the  full  consequences  of  his  transgression?  That  part  of 
the  third  chapter  of  Genesis  which  we  study  to-day  helps  us 
to  answer  some  of  these  questions. 

God  Calls  Man  to  Account  for  His  Sin.  God  is  not 
like  a  weak  and  overindulgent  parent  who  simply  "  lets  it 
go  "  when  his  children  do  that  which  is  wrong.  Though  sin 
severs  our  fellowship  with  him,  it  does  not  separate  us  from 
his  presence,  for  he  is  everywhere.  We  cannot  hide  from 
him.  Parents  who  weakly  permit  their  children  to  go  on 
in  evil  ways  do  not  love  their  children  so  deeply  and  truly  as 
they  ought.  Because  God's  love  for  man  is  so  great  that  it 
cannot  be  measured  he  must  not  let  man's  sin  go  unreproved. 

A  King  Who  Never  Abdicates.  Sometimes  when  the 
subjects  of  a  king  rebel  against  him,  he  resigns  his  office, 
abdicates,  as  we  say.  Now  sin  is  rebellion  against  God's 
government;  it  is  the  lifting  of  the  standard  of  revolt  against 
the  One  who  made  the  earth  and  the  heavens,  who  made 
man  and  breathed  into  him  the  breath  of  life  so  that  he 
became  a  living  soul.  God  permits  the  rebellion  to  go  on, 
but  he  is  ever  watching  for  the  time  when  the  rebellious 
sinner  will  come  back  to  him. 

The  Result  of  Sin.  God  allows  man  to  suffer  some  of 
the  consequences  of  his  sin.  It  would  have  been  a  weak- 
ness in  God  if  he  had  allowed  his  love  for  man  to  lead  him 
to  shield  man  from  all  consequences  of  sin.  God  told  the 
first  violators  of  his  law  that  pain  and  sorrow  would  come 
as  a  result  of  their  acts  of  disobedience,  that  thorns  and 
thistles  would  spring  up  along  the  way  they  would  have 


36      INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

to  go.  God's  words  are  just  as  true  for  us  as  for  them. 
Sin  still  brings  sorrow  and  loss.  For  the  sinful  soul  a 
forbidding  and  flaming  sword  still  keeps  guard  over  the 
path  which  leads  to  the  Eden  of  happiness. 

Hope  for  the  Future.  God  encourages  man  to  hope  for 
a  final  and  complete  victory  over  sin.  He  will  not  allow 
sin  to  mar  his  works  completely  and  bring  his  plans  to 
naught.  His  infinite  love  will  find  a  way  of  rescue  which 
is  in  perfect  harmony  with  his  infinite  righteousness.  Sin 
is  a  scourge  and  a  menace  and  an  injury,  but  man  shall 
yet,  with  God's  help  put  it  forever  beneath  his  feet.  This 
seems  to  many  the  interpretation  of  the  Bible  words  con- 
cerning the  serpent  whose  fangs  should  wound  the  heel 
of  man,  but  whose  head  should  be  bruised  beneath  the 
heel  of  one  born  of  woman. 

A  Wayward  Youth  Reclaimed  by  a  Mother's  Love 

John  Vinton  was  a  disobedient  and  wayward  lad.  Instead 
of  working  on  the  farm  where  his  widowed  mother  Hved, 
he  used  to  slip  away  to  town,  where  he  joined  a  gang  of 
idle  young  fellows  who  spent  their  time  learning  to  gamble 
and  to  drink.  All  the  mother's  protests  and  pleadings  were 
in  vain ;  John  seemed  to  have  lost  all  sense  of  manliness. 

One  day  while  John's  mother  was  working  in  the  field, 
her  eye  was  severely  injured.  In  a  little  while  the  other 
eye  became  affected  and  she  became  almost  blind.  Even  this 
did  not  sober  the  reckless  son.  After  a  time  they  sold  their 
farm  and  moved  to  town.  The  mother  could  no  longer  man- 
age the  place  and  she  could  get  no  assistance.  She  became 
a  weaver  of  rag  carpets.  By  feeling  the  threads  with  her 
hands  and  putting  her  eyes  down  very  close  to  them  she 
could  do  her  work. 

One  day  John  asked  his  mother  for  his  share  of  the 
money  they  had  received  from  the  sale  of  the  farm.  The 
mother  was  afraid  to  let  him  have  any  part  of  the  money, 
for  she  knew  of  his  gambling,  but  he  pleaded  that  he  had 
never  had  anything  of  his  very  own  and  that  he  would  do 
better,  once  he  was  in  business  for  himself.  At  last  she  was 
persuaded  that  the  responsibility  of  handling  his  own  money 
might  be  helpful  to  him,  and  she  gave  him  a  half  of  what 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS      2>7 

they  had  received  from  the  sale  of  the  farm.  In  a  few 
weeks  he  had  lost  it  all  through  gambling. 

One  morning  the  mother  awoke  to  find  that  her  son  was 
not  in  the  house.  Going  to  his  room  she  found  on  the  stand 
a  brief  note  from  him  stating  that  he  was  off  for  the  Pacific 
Coast.  With  trembling  hands  she  opened  the  little  drawer 
where  her  part  of  the  money  from  the  farm  was  kept.  It 
was  empty.  She  bowed  her  head  and  wept,  not  for  the  loss 
of  her  money,  however,  but  for  shame.  She  said  nothing 
to  anyone,  but  went  back  to  her  carpet-weaving,  her  only 
m.eans  of  earning  her  daily  bread. 

Two  years  passed,  and  then  came  a  telegram  telling  the 
mother  that  her  son  was  desperately  ill  in  a  city  of  the  far 
Northwest.  The  little  she  had  saved  from  her  weaving  was 
enough  to  buy  her  ticket  to  the  place  where  he  was.  She 
found  her  son  and  nursed  him  back  to  life.  The  example 
of  her  heroic  devotion  was  enough,  with  God's  help,  to 
enable  the  young  man  to  conquer  his  bad  habits. 

As  we  continue  our  study  of  God's  plan  of  redemption,  we 
shall  come  to  see  that  the  loving  devotion  of  a  mother  to  a 
wayward  child  is  something  like  the  loving  devotion  of  the 
great  Father  for  his  wayward  and  sinning  children. 

The:  Lksson  Prayer 

O  God,  our  Creator  and  Father,  we  know  that  thou 
art  perfect.  We  know  that  when  we  do  wrong  we  cause 
thee  sorrow  and  disappointment  and  bring  distress  and  loss 
to  ourselves.  Give  us  strength  to  do  right  that  we  may 
enjoy  thy  fellowship  and  be  glad  with  thee.  We  thank 
thee  for  thy  patient  love  and  thy  forgiveness  to  all  who 
repent.  Give  us  the  power  to  be  victors  over  the  things 
that  tempt  us  to  do  evil.  May  thy  Kingdom  of  brother- 
hood and  righteousness  be  established  in  our  hearts,  in  our 
homes,  in  our  community,  and  throughout  the  earth.  Help 
us  to  be  worthy  citizens  of  thy  Kingdom.  May  we  be 
kind  to  all,  friendly  to  strangers,  just  in  our  dealings,  pure 
in  our  thoughts.  We  ask  in  the  name  of  Jesus,  thy  Son. 
Amen. 


38      INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 
The:  Lesson  Hymn 

"  Begin,  my  tongue,   some   heavenly  theme, 
And  speak  some  boundless  thing, 
The  mighty  works,  or  mightier  name. 
Of  our  eternal  King. 

"  Tell  of  his  wondrous  faithfulness, 
And  sound  his  power  abroad; 
Sing  the  sweet  promise  of  his  grace, 
And  the  performing  God. 

"  His  very  word  of  grace  is  strong 
As  that  which  built  the  skies; 
The  voice  that  rolls  the  stars  along 
Speaks  all  the  promises." 


EXPRESSIONAL  SESSION 

OUR  FELLOWSHIP  WITH  GOD 
I  John  1 :5-10 

Suggestions  for  the  Leader's  Opening  Address 

The  Bible  teaches  us  that  God  is  everywhere,  that  we  can- 
not get  away  from  him.  The  presence  of  God  is  universal, 
but  fellowship  with  him  is  not.  When  we  do  things  that 
are  wrong  we  lose  our  sense  of  fellowship  with  him,  but 
he  does  not  cease  to  see  us  and  to  know  all  about  us. 

We  can  have  fellowship  with  God  in  several  different 
ways.  We  can  have  fellowship  with  him  in  our  joys. 
When  a  crowd  of  Intermediates  get  together  they  enjoy  one 
another's  company.  In  the  same  way  we  can  come  to  have 
a  joy  in  knowing  that  God  is  with  us,  taking  joy  in  the  same 
things  that  give  enjoyment  to  us. 

We  can  have  fellowship  with  God  in  labor.  God  is  inter- 
ested in  everything  we  undertake  that  is  right  and  worth 
while.  The  farmer  is  a  coworker  with  God  while  he  is 
working  in  the  fields  to  raise  grain  for  our  food.  The 
teacher  is  a  coworker  with  God  because  she  is  working  for 
the  same  things  that  God  is  working  for,  the  bringing  up 
of  intelligent  and  righteous  citizens  of  the  nation.  I  have 
noticed  that  people  who  are  working  at  the  same  kind  of 
work  are  interested  in  much  the  same  kind  of  things  and 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS      39 

like  to  be  together.  If  we  are  doing  God's  work  we  can  feel 
something  of  this  same  fellowship  with  him  that  we  feel 
with  our  companions  in  labor  among  men. 

Study  Topics 

1.  Conditions  Under  Which  Fellowship  with  God  Is 
Possible.    Psalm  15. 

2.  Prayer  of  One  Who  Had  Lost  the  Sense  of  God's 
Presence.     Psalm  51. 

3.  How  the  Hebrews'  Ideas  of  Jehovah  Differed  from 
the  Ideas  of  Pagan  Peoples  About  Their  Gods. 

4.  Is  Badness  Due  to  Weakness  or  to  Strength  of 
Character?    Why? 

5.  Is  Real  Goodness  Ever  Due  to  Weakness  of  Char- 
acter?   Why? 

6.  If  God  Loves  Mankind  Why  Does  He  Allow  Them 
to  Suffer  from  the  Wrong  Things  They  Do  ? 

7.  Events  of  American  History  Which  Show  God's 
Presence. 

8.  Enterprises  in  Which  We  Can  Work  Together  with 
God. 

9.  What  Should  Parents  Do  When  Their  Children 
Persistently  Do  Wrong? 

Versks  for  Use;  in  the:  Meeting 

Job  19:25;  Ps.  19:14;  78:35;  130:7;  Prov.  23:10,  11; 
Isa.  41 :8,  9. 

Committees  to  Be  Appointed 

Social  Committee.  To  plan  for  a  class  social  to  which 
all  young  people  of  Intermediate  age  are  to  be  invited,  and 
through  which  it  is  hoped  they  may  be  brought  into  the  mem- 
bership of  the  class. 

Teacher's  Helper  Committee.  To  offer  help  to  the  class 
teacher  in  such  ways  as  putting  lesson  material  on  the 
blackboards,  cleaning  boards  and  erasers,  looking  over 
papers,  and  in  any  other  way  in  which  the  teacher  needs 
help. 


40      INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

Things  to  Be  Done  by  Individual  Members  oe  the 
Class  or  by  Committees 

1.  Find  the  meaning  and  derivation  of  the  foUow^ing 
words :  Redemption,  regeneration,  reconciliation,  eternal, 
infinite,  omnipotent,  omniscient,  omnipresent. 

2.  Write  sentences  using  the  words  given  above. 

3.  Find  Bible  verses  which  tell  of  God's  power,  his 
existence  everywhere,  his  love  for  man,  his  displeasure 
with  sin. 


The  Class  Code 

The  Law  of  the  Divine  Fellowship.  Our  happiness, 
usefulness,  and  true  success  depend  upon  the  presence  of 
God  in  our  lives  and  our  fellowship  with  him.    Therefore : 

1.  We  will  try  to  live  in  purity  and  speak  the  truth,  for 
God  cannot  have  fellowship  with  works  of  darkness. 

2.  We  will  seek  God's  counsel  in  all  we  undertake,  for 
we  know  that  our  own  wisdom  is  very  limited. 

3.  We  will  honor  and  obey  our  parents  and  teachers,  for 
this  is  God's  commandment  and  wHen  we  do  his  will  we  have 
fellowship  with  him. 


SECTION  II 
THE  HELPER  AND  FRIEND  OF  MEN 


Chapter     IV.     Abraham,  a  De:s^rt  Chie:^,  Who  Bi^came: 

THE^  Friend  of  God. 
Chapter      V.     Jacob  :  a  Wayward  Youth  Made  Noble 

Through  God's  Disciplines  of  Life. 
Chapter    VI.    Joseph:     How     Misfortunes     Became 

Blessings  Througfi  the   Providence 

of  God. 

Chapter  VII.  Moses:  a  Mighty  Task  Accomplished 
Through  the  Grace  and  Power  of 
God. 


Jehovah  will  keep  thee  from  all  evil ; 

He  will  keep  thy  soul. 

Jehovah  will  keep  thy  going  out  and  thy  coming  in 

From  this  time  forth  and  for  evermore." 

— Ps.  121 :7,  8. 


CHAPTER  IV 

ABRAHAM,  A  DESERT  CHIEF,  WHO  BECAME 
THE  FRIEND  OF  GOD 

WEEK  DAY  SESSION 

A  MAN  OF  WORTHY  AMBITION  AND  NOBLE 
VENTURESOMENESS 

Gen.  12:1-9 

In  all  our  study  of  the  Bible  we  shall  be  learning  about 
God's  plans  for  redeeming  man  from  the  sin  and  evil  into 
which  he  had  fallen.  In  this  sublime  task  God  sought  to 
work,  so  far  as  he  could,  through  man.  He  is  still  depend- 
ing on  men  as  his  helpers.  Men  could  do  nothing  without 
him,  but  with  his  help  they  can  have  a  part  in  the  most 
important  task  in  the  world.  We  can  all  have  a  part  in  it, 
for  the  task  is  not  yet  completed  and  will  not  be  until  God's 
will  is  done  on  earth  "  as  it  is  in  heaven."  In  our  lesson 
to-day  we  are  to  learn  about  one  of  the  first  men  God  found 
who  was  willing  and  able  to  help,  in  any  large  way,  in  this 
great  task. 

The  Heroic  Pioneer.  Abraham  was  one  of  the  first  of 
those  heroic  men  who  have  pushed  out,  settling  the  un- 
peopled portions  of  the  earth  ;  bearing  civilization  into 
the  midst  of  savage  peoples.  The  Pilgrims  of  Plymouth, 
the  early  settlers  along  the  Ohio  and  the  Mississippi  and 
on  the  prairies,  and  the  hardy  men  of  '49  who  crossed  the 
plains  to  California,  were  followers  in  the  footsteps  of 
Abraham.  Not  all  pioneers,  however,  have  been  led  by 
such  noble  motives  as  was  Abraham ;  many  have  gone  out 
seeking  lands  and  gold.  Some  of  them  have  been  rough 
men  who  forgot  God  amidst  the  hard  struggles  of  their 
frontier  life.  We  shall  see  that  none  of  these  things  was 
true  of  Abraham :  he  did  not  go  seeking  wealth  for  him- 
self, but  in  answer  to  God's  call,  and  during  all  his  years 
of  wandering  he  remained  true  to  him  who  had  com- 
manded him  to  depart  from  his  father's  house. 

43 


44      INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

The  Unselfish  Pioneer.  Abraham  was  a  man  who  did 
not  Hve  selfishly  and  for  the  present,  but  for  the  good  of 
future  generations.  He  could  see  beyond  his  own  inter- 
ests and  beyond  his  own  times.  That  is  probably  why 
God  chose  him  as  his  helper.  We  call  such  a  man  an 
idealist.  God  told  Abraham  to  leave  his  country  and  his 
relatives  and  to  go  forth  into  a  land  he  had  never  seen  and 
about  which  he  knew  nothing,  but  which  God  would  show 
him.  God  told  Abraham  that  if  he  would  do  this  his 
descendants  would  some  time  become  a  great  nation  and 
that  his  life  would  be  a  blessing  to  the  whole  world. 
Don't  you  think  God  knew  that  Abraham  would  respond 
to  that  kind  of  appeal?  Probably  other  men  of  that  day 
would  not  have  been  willing  to  leave  the  rich,  irrigated 
lands  of  the  Euphrates  Valley,  and  the  magnificent  cities 
with  their  splendid  temples  where  the  moon  god  was 
worshiped,  and  become  wanderers  for  all  their  lives  in 
deserts  and  in  strange  lands  and  among  savage  people, 
and  all  this  on  a  dim  promise  that  by  doing  so  their  lives 
would  help  their  fellow  men  some  generations  later. 
Abraham,  however,  was  an  idealist;  he  did  not  live  for 
selfish  pleasures  of  the  passing  hour.  To  secure  a  blessing 
to  the  world  he  was  willing  to  risk  the  loss  of  all  things, 
even  to  leave  his  native  land  and  his  relatives  and  the  beau- 
tiful, rich  cities.  God  had  found  in  Abraham  a  man  who 
could  think  God's  thoughts  and  enter  enthusiastically  into 
God's  plans.    He  had  found  a  helper  and  a  friend. 

Heroic  Venturesomeness.  God  is  always  seeking  for 
people  who  will  risk  something  for  him.  He  must  have 
soldiers  who  will  not  run  away  at  the  first  sign  of  danger. 
He  must  have  friends  who  will  not  desert  him  through 
fear  of  losing  some  of  their  possessions.  He  must  have 
helpers  who  will  not  give  up  when  the  load  is  heavy 
and  the  results  seem  doubtful.  The  Hebrew  prophets 
were  such  men ;  so  were  the  apostles  of  Jesus,  all  save  one ; 
so  were  Martin  Luther,  and  William  Carey,  and  John  G. 
Paton.    Can  you  name  any  more  of  the  true  friends  of  God? 

The  Faithful  Altar  Builder.  Abraham  never  owned 
a  foot  of  land  except  the  rocky  cave  of  Machpelah  where  he 
buried  his  wife  Sarah.  He  lived  in  tents  and  moved  about 
from  place  to  place  so  that  his  flocks  could  find  pasture. 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS      45 

But  everywhere  he  went  he  built  altars  of  stone  to  Jehovah. 
He  left  the  whole  land  dotted  over  with  them.  He  was 
true  to  God,  and  worshiped  him  wherever  he  went.  He  had 
left  the  moon-worshiping  cities  of  the  Euphrates  Valley, 
but  he  had  come  among  people  of  even  more  degraded  forms 
of  worship.  All  about  him  were  pagan  worshipers  with 
ceremonial  rites  that  appealed  to  the  appetites  and  passions 
of  men.  Hundreds  of  years  later  some  of  his  descendants 
were  not  strong  enough  to  resist  the  attractions  of  pagan 
idolatry;  they  fell  before  it  again  and  again.  But  these 
things  never  influenced  Abraham  in  the  least.  He  was  a 
man  who  could  stand  alone.  He  kept  close  to  God,  and  his 
fellowship  with  the  Almighty  made  him  strong. 

Worthy  Ambition.  People  without  ambition  are  of  little 
use  in  the  world.  People  who  have  wrong  ambitions  are 
sometimes  worse  than  useless ;  they  become  a  menace  and  a 
scourge.  The  people  whose  lives  count  for  God  and  hu- 
manity are  the  people  who  have  great  ambitions,  but  am- 
bitions that  are  unselfish,  noble,  and  enduring.  God  will 
help  any  man  or  woman,  any  boy  or  girl,  to  have  worthy 
ambitions.  He  will  say,  ''  Be  thou  a  blessing  "  to  anyone 
who  will  hear  and  obey  him.  Boys  and  girls  of  the  Inter- 
mediate Department  are  beginning  to  form  their  life  am- 
bitions. What  are  you  planning  to  be  and  to  do?  Don't 
you  wish  to  be  idealists  as  Abraham  was  ?  Don't  you  wish 
to  be  a  blessing  to  the  generation  in  which  you  live  and, 
with  God's  help,  a  blessing  to  generations  that  are  yet  to  be  ? 

Frank  Davidson's  Choici: 

Frank  Davidson  was  born  in  a  part  of  Ireland  where  there 
was  not  much  chance  for  an  ambitious  young  man.  So  he 
came  to  America  as  soon  as  he  was  old  enough  to  earn  the 
money  to  pay  for  his  steamship  ticket.  He  was  an  honest, 
hard-working  lad,  and  he  soon  began  to  prosper.  He  had 
been  married  five  years.  There  were  two  children  in  the 
home,  when  Frank  gradually  felt  sure  that  God  was  calling 
him  to  a  different  occupation;  he  had  a  splendid  voice  and 
he  had  come  to  believe  that  God  wished  him  to  become  an 
evangelistic  singer. 

God  has  not  stopped  calling  men  as  his  helpers;  he  calls 


46      INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

them  to-day  quite  as  truly  as  he  called  Abraham.  Some- 
times he  lets  boys  and  girls  know  what  he  wishes  them  to 
become  when  they  have  grown  to  manhood  and  womanhood. 
He  gives  them  time  to  get  ready  to  be  his  helpers. 

Now,  Frank  Davidson  knew  that  he  would  have  to  go  to 
school  several  years  if  he  was  to  be  the  kind  of  evangelistic 
singer  God  wished  him  to  be.  What  should  he  do  with  his 
family?  He  had  saved  a  little  money,  but  not  enough  to 
last  very  long.  Was  it  not  a  big  risk  for  a  man  at  his  age  to 
give  up  a  good  position  and  start  out  into  an  undertaking  of 
which  he  knew  next  to  nothing?  After  finishing  school, 
could  he  find  work  which  would  bring  a  living  to  himself 
and  family?  Was  there  not  danger  that  he  would  come 
down  to  old  age  with  nothing  to  keep  him  from  the  poor- 
house  ? 

Finally  Frank  told  his  wife  that  he  felt  God  was  saying 
to  him,  "  Go,  and  sing  the  gospel  message."  His  wife  said : 
"Of  course  you  must  do  it.  If  God  wishes  you  to  work  for 
him,  he  will  take  care  of  us."  When  Frank  told  his  friends, 
however,  they  were  not  so  confident.  "  Why,  Frank,  you're 
crazy,"  they  said.  But  he  sold  his  property,  gave  his  wife 
money  on  which  to  live  for  some  months,  then  went  away 
to  school. 

He  studied  hard.  He  was  making  good  progress.  But 
word  came  at  last  that  his  family  had  money  enough  to  last 
only  a  few  weeks  more.  What  should  he  do?  That  night 
when  he  opened  his  mail  he  found  a  letter  from  a  near-by 
town  asking  him  if  he  would  become  their  choir  leader.  It 
was  a  large  church,  and  they  offered  him  a  hundred  dollars 
a  month  for  such  time  as  he  could  spare  from  his  studies. 
This  was  a  large  salary  for  that  time.  With  it  he  easily 
finished  his  course  and  kept  himself  and  his  family  in  com- 
fort at  the  same  time. 

He  had  shown  a  heroic  venturesomeness  quite  as  genuine 
as  that  shown  by  Abraham,  and  the  same  God  who  never 
failed  his  servant  of  old  was  equally  true  to  this  twentieth- 
century  servant  of  his.  And  he  became  not  only  a  gospel 
singer,  but  a  powerful  preacher  of  God's  Word.  Through 
him  many  lives  were  redeemed  from  the  slavery  of  evil  to 
the  service  of  the  living  God. 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS      47 

"  Take  my  life  and  let  it  be, 
Consecrated,  Lord,  to  thee. 
Take  my  moments  and  my  days; 
Let  them  flow  in  ceaseless  praise. 


"  Take  my  hands,  and  let  them  move 
At  the  impulse  of  thy  love. 
Take  mv  feet,  and  let  them  be 
Swift  and  beautiful  for  thee. 


"  Take  my  voice,  and  let  me  sing, 
Always,  only,  for  my  King. 
Take  my  lips,  and  let  them  be 
Filled  with  messages  from  thee." 


SUNDAY  SESSION 

IF  A  MAN  IS  A  FRIEND  OF  GOD,  WHAT  KIND  OF 

MAN  IS  HE? 

Gen.  13:1-13;  14:1-16;  22:1-19 

What  characteristics  might  we  expect  to  find  in  a  man 
who  lived  in  such  close  fellowship  with  God  that  he  came 
to  be  called  God's  friend?  What  would  a  man  become 
through  nearly  a  hundred  years  of  such  fellowship  with 
the  infinite  Creator?  We  have  already  answered  these 
questions,  in  part,  as  we  studied  our  week-day  lesson.  We 
have  seen  that  Abraham  was  nobly  and  unselfishly  ambitious, 
that  he  wished  to  make  his  life  a  blessing,  that  he  lived  and 
thought  with  the  good  of  distant  generations  in  view,  that 
he  was  nobly  venturesome  for  God.  In  this  lesson  we  shall 
see  some  of  the  other  characteristics  of  Abraham,  the  friend 
of  God. 

Generous  of  Heart.  Abraham's  nephew,  Lot,  had  ac- 
companied him  on  the  journey  from  Haran.  Both  Lot 
and  Abraham  had  flocks  and  herdsmen  to  tend  them. 
After  a  time  the  herds  of  both  increased  to  such  an 
extent  that  it  was  hard  to  find  pasture  when  all  the 
flocks  were  together.  The  herdsmen  of  Abraham  and 
the  herdsmen  of  Lot  began  quarreling  over  the  pastures 


48      INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

and  over  the  watering  places ;  each  side  wished  the  best 
for  themselves.  When  Abraham  heard  about  this,  he 
said  it  ought  not  to  be.  He  wished  to  settle  the  matter 
peaceably.  So  Lot  and  Abraham  stood  together  and  looked 
out  across  the  land.  On  one  side  was  the  valley  of  the 
Jordan,  at  that  time  well-watered  and  with  abundant  grass 
for  pasture.  On  the  other  side  was  the  rocky  Judean  high- 
land. Abraham  said  to  his  young  nephew,  "  You  take  your 
choice,  and  I  will  take  what  is  left  after  you  have  chosen." 
Lot  took  the  well-watered  valley,  leaving  the  rocky  highlands 
to  Abraham.  This  wasn't  a  nice  thing  for  the  younger  man 
to  do,  and  he  didn't  gain  anything  by  it  in  the  end,  but  it  was 
generous  of  Abraham  to  give  his  nephew  first  choice. 

Courageous  in  Spirit.  Abraham  was  a  man  of  peace. 
He  got  along  with  his  neighbors  without  much  trouble, 
as  most  people  do  who  are  reasonable  and  unselfish. 
But  there  was  one  occasion  when  Abraham  became  a 
man  of  war.  Not  very  long  after  Abraham  and  Lot 
had  divided  the  land  between  them  and  Lot  had  moved 
down  into  the  Jordan  Valley,  five  kings  with  a  large 
army  from  the  Euphrates  Valley  swept  down  upon  the 
people  living  along  the  Jordan.  They  defeated  the 
armies  which  the  people  of  the  Jordan  Valley  sent  to  meet 
them.  Then  they  made  prisoners  of  Lot  and  his  family 
with  all  his  servants.  With  them  and  with  their  flocks  the 
invaders  started  back  toward  their  homes  on  the  Euphrates. 
One  lone  servant  of  Lot's  made  his  escape,  and  came  and 
told  Abraham.  No  time  was  to  be  lost,  since  the  army  which 
held  Lot  and  his  family  prisoners  was  already  on  the  home- 
ward way.  Abraham  acted  with  promptness  and  cour- 
age. He  had  only  a  handful  of  men,  but  pursued  the  enemy. 
Away  up  in  northern  Palestine  he  overtook  them.  The  only 
hope  of  victory  lay  in  a  surprise  attack,  so  he  planned  a 
night  assault.  He  divided  his  forces.  Attacked  suddenly  on 
two  sides,  the  great  army  became  panic-stricken  and  fled. 
The  servants  of  Abraham  pursued  the  fleeing  enemy  far  up 
to  the  neighborhood  of  Damascus,  then  returned,  gathering 
up  the  immense  amount  of  property  which  the  soldiers  had 
abandoned. 

All  the  people  of  the  land  flocked  together  to  honor  Abra- 
ham.   The  greatest  kings  and  priests  were  ready  to  give  him 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS      49 

place  among  them  as  a  leader  and  ruler.  But  it  was  enough 
for  Abraham  that  he  had  rescued  his  nephew  and  all  his 
property.  There  were  certain  brave  men,  Amorites,  who 
had  helped  Abraham  in  his  expedition  against  the  five  kings 
from  the  Euphrates.  Abraham  would  not  take  any  of  the 
spoil  for  himself,  but  he  said  that  these  helpers  of  his  should 
be  given  an  opportunity  to  take  their  share,  if  they  wished 
to  do  so.  Abraham,  in  some  way,  always  appears  as  a 
perfect  gentleman.  There  was  nothing  little,  mean,  or  cow- 
ardly about  him.  Having  unsheathed  the  sword  once  in  a 
worthy  cause,  this  great  man  of  peace  never  again  engaged 
in  battle,  because  circumstances  justifying  such  a  resort  to 
force  never  again  presented  themselves.  Bad  men  some- 
times exhibit  a  sort  of  reckless  bravery,  but  it  is  true  that 
good  men  are  most  truly  courageous. 

Unwavering  in  Faith.  The  faith  which  prompted  Abra- 
ham to  leave  his  friends  and  his  native  land  to  strike 
out  into  the  wilderness  never  left  him.  Even  a  good 
man's  faith  is  sometimes  severely  tested.  Abraham  had 
the  kind  of  faith  which  makes  a  man  patient.  He  could 
wait  without  losing  faith  and  hope.  God  had  promised 
him  that  his  descendants  should  some  day  be  a  great 
nation  and  that  through  his  offspring  the  families  of  all 
the  earth  should  be  blessed.  Yet  for  many  years  Abra- 
ham had  no  son.  He  seems  never  to  have  doubted  that  God 
would  in  some  way  make  his  promise  come  true.  At  last, 
when  he  was  an  old  man,  his  son  Isaac  was  born.  There  was 
still  one  last  test  in  store  for  Abraham,  for  we  are  told  that 
Abraham  was  asked  to  show  that  he  vv^as  willing  to  give  up 
his  little  son,  the  precious  child  of  the  promise.  Abraham 
could  meet  even  this  test.  But  God  did  not  require  him  to 
give  up  the  child  for  whom.  he. had  waited  and  prayed  so 
many  years.     It  was  enough  that  his  servant  was  willing. 

How  Cedric  Became  a  Knight 

Many  years  ago  there  lived  in  an  English  village  a  father 
and  a  mother  with  their  little  son  who  was  named  Cedric. 
It  was  in  the  days  when  there  were  many  knights  in  Eng- 
land. These  knights  were  brave  men  who  fought  for  the 
defense  of  the  country.     They  were  solemnly  pledged  to 


50      INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

speak  the  truth  always,  to  be  courteous  to  women,  and  kind 
to  Httle  children.  They  defended  the  weak  against  the 
strong. 

Little  Cedric  told  his  mother  that  when  he  became  a  man 
he  would  be  a  knight.  He  especially  admired  a  noble  knight 
named  Sir  Roland ;  if  he  could  be  a  knight  like  this  splendid 
man  and  ride  with  a  spear  in  his  hand  upon  a  horse  he 
thought  he  would  be  perfectly  happy. 

One  day  Cedric  found  a  lame  dog  in  the  road,  and  he  was 
so  intent  on  helping  the  animal  that  he  did  not  notice  the 
approach  of  a  horseman.  Looking  up  he  was  surprised  to 
see  Sir  Roland  bending  over  him.  "  I  think,  my  boy,  that 
you  would  make  a  good  knight  for  we  are  sworn  to  be  kind 
and  just  to  every  living  thing  in  the  world." 

In  time  Cedric  went  to  live  in  Sir  Roland's  castle  that  he 
might  become  a  knight.  He  did  not  learn  how  out  of  a  book, 
but  by  living  with  Sir  Roland  and  being  friends  with  him. 
He  accompanied  Sir  Roland  everywhere.  He  saw  how  good 
and  kind  he  was  to  everyone  he  met.  One  day  he  was 
riding  along  the  highway  when  he  saw  under  a  tree  a  little 
bird  that  had  fallen  from  its  nest.  He  was  in  a  hurry  and 
passed  on,  but  after  a  time  he  thought  to  himself,  "  Sir 
Roland  would  not  do  that."  So  he  retraced  his  steps,  picked 
up  the  bird,  and  restored  it  to  its  nest.  At  last  he  knelt  be- 
fore the  king  while  the  monarch  of  England  touched  his 
shoulder  with  his  sword  saying,  "  Arise,  Sir  Cedric,  I  have 
commissioned  you  to  be  a  knight  of  my  realm."  Cedric  had 
become  a  knight  through  his  friendship  with  the  noble  Sir 
Roland.  We  can  have  fellowship  with  God  something  like 
this,  only  more  ennobling  than  any  fellowship  with  man  can 
possibly  be.  We  are  God's  children,  and  if  we  love  him 
and  obey  him  we  daily  become  more  like  him. 

"  Beloved,  now  are  we  children  of  God,  and  it  is  not  yet 
made  manifest  what  we  shall  be.  We  know  that,  if  it  shall 
be  manifested,  we  shall  be  like  him;  for  we  shall  see  him 
even  as  he  is."    I  John  3  :2. 

Tint  Li^ssoN  Prayicr 

O  God,  our  Father  and  Friend,  we  know  that  thou  dost 
love  us.     We  know  that  thou  art  interested  in  all  we  do. 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS      51 

We  pray  that  we  may  have  unselfish  and  worthy  ambitions. 
We  would  not  live  for  the  selfish  enjoyments  of  the  present 
hour.  Help  us  to  be  willing  to  undertake  hard  tasks  for 
thee.  Help  us  to  be  generous  and  courageous  and  kind. 
Help  us  in  our  study  of  the  great  men  and  women  of  the 
Bible.  May  we  learn  from  them  how  to  honor  thee  and 
how  to  do  good.    We  ask  in  the  name  of  thy  Son.    Amen. 

The  Le:sson  Hymn 

"  Walk  in  the  light:  so  shall  thou  know 
That  fellowship  of  love, 
His  Spirit  only  can  bestow, 
Who  reigns  in  light  above. 

"Walk  in  the  light:  and  thou  shalt  find 

Thy  heart  made  truly  his 
Who  dwells  in  cloudless  light  enshrined, 

In  whom  no  darkness  is." 


EXPRESSIONAL  SESSION 

LESSONS  FOR  INTERMEDIATES  FROM  THE  LIFE 
OF  ABRAHAM 

Gen.,  chs.  12  to  14 
Suggestions  for  thi:  Le;ade:r's  Opening  Address 

We  have  been  learning  many  things  about  Abraham  in  our 
class  recitations.  In  this  meeting  we  wish  to  discuss  what 
lessons  from  this  great  man's  life  are  especially  suited  to  us, 
and  how  we  can  carry  out  these  lessons  in  our  lives.  The 
lesson  from  the  life  of  Abraham  which  I  like  best  and  which 
I  probably  need  most  is  found  in  the  story  of  his  dealing 
with  his  nephew,  Lot.  Most  of  our  troubles  at  home  and  in 
school  come  to  us  because  we  are  not  willing  to  give  up 
things  to  others.  Abraham  was  older  than  Lot,  and  God 
had  told  him  that  all  the  land  was  to  be  his,  yet  he  gave  Lot 
the  first  choice.  If  we  could  only  do  as  Abraham  did,  we 
should  have  a  much  happier  time  together. 


52      INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

Study  Topics 

1.  The  Lesson  from  Abraham  Which  I  Like  Best. 

2.  Is  It  Always  Right  for  Us  to  Give  Up  to  Others? 

3.  What  Is  the  Difference  Between  Heroic  Venture- 
someness  and  Foolhardiness? 

4.  How  Can  We  Be  Sure  That  God  Wishes  Us  to 
Do  a  Certain  Thing? 

5.  Name  Some  Characters  of  History  Who  Were  Un- 
worthily Ambitious. 

6.  Name  Some  Nobly  Venturesome  Explorers,  Mis- 
sionaries, Inventors. 

7.  What    Opportunities    Have    Intermediates    to    Be 
Nobly  Venturesome? 

8.  What  Constitutes  a  Noble  Ambition  for  One's  Life 
Work? 


Versus  ]?or  Usi:  in  the:  Me:e:ting 
Ps.  21  :l-7;  84:11 ;  Isa.  42:6;  John  3:16 


Things  to  Be  Done  by  Individual  Members  oe  the 
CivAss  OR  BY  Committees 

1.  Find  out  about  the  needs  for  recruits  and  the  op- 
portunities for  service  in  the  following  occupations: 
Social  settlement  workers,  Sunday  School  Association 
secretaries,  Y.  W.  C.  A.  workers,  Y.  M.  C.  A.  workers, 
Directors  of  Religious  Education. 

2.  Find  out  what  preparation  is  necessary  for  the  call- 
ings named. 


The  Class  Code 

The  Law  of  Worthy  Ambition.  The  victories  and  hu- 
man benefits  of  the  past  generations  have  been  won  by  people 
who  not  only  lived  but  lived  for  something.    Therefore: 

1.  We  will  have  a  purpose.  We  will  not  drift  through 
life  and  accomplish  nothing  because  of  aimlessness. 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS      53 

2.  We  will  have  a  noble  purpose.  We  will  aim  at  some- 
thing that  is  unselfish  and  that  will  be  helpful  to  our  fellow 
men. 

3.  We  will  pursue  our  goals  with  patient  and  persistent 
effort.  No  great  good  is  ever  accomplished  without  con- 
tinuous and  ardent  endeavor. 

In  all  things  we  will  seek  the  guidance  and  fellowship  of 
God. 


CHAPTER  V 

JACOB  :  A  WAYWARD  YOUTH  MADE  NOBLE 
THROUGH  GOD'S  DISCIPLINES  OF  LIFE 

WEEK  DAY  SESSION 

GOD'S  CHOICE  OF  A  FATHER  FOR  A  NATION 
Gen.  25:27-34;  27:1-45 

Abraham's  son  Isaac  grew  up  to  be  a  peaceable,  industrious, 
and  prosperous  man.  He  not  only  had  great  flocks  of  sheep 
and  goats,  cattle  and  camels,  as  his  father  Abraham  had 
had,  but  he  was  a  farmer  as  well  as  a  herdsman.  Some 
years  he  sowed  grain  and  reaped  a  hundredfold.  Isaac  was 
a  religious  man.  He  walked  in  the  footsteps  of  his  father, 
Abraham.  Like  Abraham  he  cherished  the  great  promise 
which  God  had  made  concerning  the  blessing  to  the  world 
through  Abraham's  descendants.  Like  Abraham,  he  built 
altars  to  God  and  worshiped  him,  and  he  heard  the  voice  of 
God  saying  that  he  would  remember  him  and  bless  his  de- 
scendants according  to  the  promises  he  had  made.  There 
is  much  for  us  to  admire  in  Isaac,  the  quiet,  peace-loving 
farmer,  who  had  ideals  and  who  did  his  part  in  God's 
great  plans  for  redeeming  the  world  from  evil. 

Isaac  had  two  sons.  They  were  twins,  and  both  of  them 
were  unlike  their  father.  It  sometimes  happens  that  way  in 
life.  Of  these  two  sons,  God  would  choose  one  to  be  the 
father  of  the  nation  through  which  he  was  planning  to  work 
out  a  part  of  the  problem  of  redeeming  mankind  from  evil. 
Why  did  God  choose  Jacob  rather  than  Esau  for  that  high 
office?  At  first  thought  we  may  be  surprised  at  God's 
choice,  but  when  we  study  a  little  we  can  see  the  reason  more 
clearly. 

Jacob's  Failings.  Jacob  had  some  grievous  faults.  He 
was  selfish  and  dishonest.  He  deceived  his  old,  blind  father 
and  cheated  his  brother.    He  was  not  courageous.    A  guilty 

54 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS      55 

conscience  usually  makes  people  cowardly.  Jacob  was  glad 
to  flee  from  the  brother  he  had  wronged  and  he  came  before 
this  same  brother  with  fear  and  trembling  after  many  years 
had  passed  since  he  did  his  brother  the  injustice.  Esau 
had  apparently  long  since  forgotten  about  the  injury,  or 
at  least  ceased  to  be  angry  about  it,  but  Jacob  could  not 
forget.  It  is  one  of  the  punishments  of  wrongdoing  that 
the  memory  of  such  deeds  clings  to  us  and  makes  us  weak 
and  fearful  in  the  crises  of  our  lives,  when  we  need  to  be 
strong  and  courageous. 

Esau's  Excellent  Traits  of  Character.  In  many  re- 
spects Esau  seems  to  have  been  superior  to  his  brother. 
He  must  have  been  a  courageous  youth,  for  he  was  a 
daring  hunter.  He  was  generous-hearted.  The  meat 
he  brought  in  from  hunting  was  for  his  old,  blind  father 
and  doubtless  for  all  the  household.  It  probably  would 
never  have  occurred  to  him  to  sell  a  kettle  of  boiled 
herbs  as  Jacob  did.  Esau  had  a  forgiving  spirit.  He  got 
over  his  anger  quickly.  His  mother  knew  that  he  had  this 
trait,  for  she  said  that  Jacob  should  go  away  for  a  "  few 
days,"  until  his  brother's  fury  be  turned  away. 

When  Jacob  came  back  Esau  hurried  out  to  meet  him,  not 
to  take  vengeance  as  Jacob  feared,  but  to  welcome  his 
brother  home,  for  we  are  told  that  he  ran  to  him,  fell  upon 
his  neck,  and  kissed  him. 

The  One  Thing  Needful.  And  yet  God  chose  Jacob 
rather  than  Esau.  Jacob  possessed  one  trait  of  char- 
acter which  was  lacking  in  Esau.  This  trait  was  the 
one  thing  most  essential  in  a  person  to  be  used  of  God 
in  his  great  plan.  So  far  as  we  know,  Esau  never 
prayed  or  acted  as  if  God  had  any  existence.  He  was 
a  splendid  pagan.  He  lived  to  hunt  and  to  eat  and  to  enjoy 
himself.  God's  great  promise  to  his  ancestors  meant  little 
to  him.  As  the  eldest  son  he  was  head  of  the  tribe  and  the 
one  on  whom  God's  promise  would  naturally  have  rested, 
but  he  sold  his  birthright  for  a  mess  of  pottage.  Esau  had 
no  ideals,  or  if  he  ever  had  had  them,  he  had  let  them  die 
early.  To  be  a  blessing  to  the  world  through  his  descendants 
in  some  far-off  time,  stirred  the  soul  of  Abraham,  but  it  had 
no  appeal  for  Esau. 

With  all  his   faults,  Jacob   had  that   within  him  which 


56      INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

caused  him  to  respond,  as  his  grandfather  Abraham  had 
done,  to  thoughts  of  God  and  blessings  for  mankind.  His 
hfe  was  one  long  struggle  with  besetting  sins,  but  he  battled 
manfully.  Jacob  had  much  to  learn  in  God's  school  of 
life,  before  he  was  fit  for  the  great  Builder's  use,  but  he  did 
learn,  little  by  little,  and  in  his  latter  days  he  rose  to  strength 
and  sublimity  of  character. 

Life  is  like  a  school.  Some  people  begin  to  learn  its  les- 
sons early,  and  learn  them  well.  Such  persons  rise  to  places 
of  usefulness  in  the  service  of  God  and  their  fellow  men. 
Some  fail  to  heed  the  lessons,  and  learn  but  slowly  and  im- 
perfectly. In  our  next  lesson  we  shall  see  more  of  Jacob's 
development  in  God's  school  of  life. 

The  Birthright  or  the  Pottage.  Have  you  ever  thought 
about  the  fact  that  the  most  important  decisions  of  life 
are  made  in  youth?  Most  of  the  boys  and  the  girls  who 
read  these  lessons  will  soon  be  deciding  upon  their  life 
work.  Perhaps  some  have  already  done  so.  There  is 
probably  some  one  thing  which  each  of  us  can  do  better 
than  we  can  do  anything  else;  some  one  calling  for  which 
God  has  intended  each  of  us.  If  we  make  a  wrong  choice 
we  shall  never  accomplish  as  much  as  we  ought  to  ac- 
complish in  life. 

A  decision  of  greater  importance  than  the  choice  of  our 
life  work  must  be  made  by  each  of  us  and  it  is  usually  made 
early  in  life.  We  must  all  decide  whether  we  are  to  neglect 
the  one  thing  needful  as  Esau  did,  or  are  to  give  it  a  place 
in  our  lives  as  Jacob  did.  We  must  each  make  our  choice 
between  the  birthright  and  the  pottage.  We  are  made  in 
God's  image,  after  his  likeness.  It  is  possible  for  us  to  grow 
more  and  more  like  God.  This  possibility  is  a  precious 
birthright,  which  we  possess  as  children  of  God.  We  can 
take  it  for  our  own,  or  we  can  barter  it  away  for  worthless 
pottage. 

Two  boys  sat  near  each  other  in  the  same  school.  One 
was  an  earnest,  studious  lad.  He  did  his  work  faithfully. 
Instead  of  going  on  the  streets  at  night,  he  spent  most  of 
his  evenings  at  home,  and  did  a  good  deal  of  studying  there. 
He  thought  much  of  the  years  that  were  to  come  when  he 
should  be  a  man.  To  be  a  blessing  to  the  world  meant 
something  for  him.     Of  course  he  liked  to  play  ball  and 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS      57 

have  some  fun  as  other  boys  do,  but  these  things  did  not 
absorb  all  his  time  and  thought.  His  wise  father  and  mother 
had  taught  him  to  attend  church  and  Sunday  school.  So  he 
was  not  found  among  the  boys'  gangs  who  played  ball  all 
day  Sunday,  or  went  on  excursions,  or  roamed  the  streets. 

Sitting  near  this  studious  lad  was  another  boy  of  about 
the  same  age.  He  was  bright  and  naturally  gifted  in  many 
ways.  He  could  get  his  lessons  without  much  labor,  so  he 
didn't  work  very  hard  at  them.  He  did  not  like  to  study  at 
home.  He  wasn't  at  home  very  much  anyway.  His  parents 
let  him  come  and  go  just  about  as  he  pleased.  To  have  a 
good  time  came  to  be  the  goal  of  his  life.  He  never  went 
to  church  or  to  Sunday  school.  He  dreamed  of  manhood 
as  an  enlarged  opportunity  for  having  a  good  time,  when  he 
thought  of  it  at  all. 

One  evening  these  two  boys  met  on  a  bridge  which 
spanned  the  small  river  that  separated  the  community  where 
they  lived  from  the  business  part  of  the  town.  The  studious 
boy  had  been  in  school  and  had  remained  late  for  some 
special  work.  He  was  on  his  way  home  to  spend  the  evening 
there.  The  other  lad,  coming  in  to  town  to  spend  the  even- 
ing idly  felt  that  he  ought  to  remonstrate  with  the  studious 
lad.  "  Will,"  he  said  "  you're  a  fool.  You  just  study,  study, 
all  the  time  and  never  have  a  bit  of  fun.  Why  don't  you 
do  as  the  rest  of  us  boys  do.  We  have  a  fine  time  every 
night  and  you  just  mope  off  home.  Come  on  back  with  me 
and  I  will  show  you  a  good  time  for  once  in  your  life." 
The  studious  boy  said  he  did  not  care  to  go  back. 

These  two  boys  are  middle-aged  men,  now.  One  of  them 
went  on  through  the  grammar  school,  through  high  school, 
through  college,  and  through  the  university.  His  name  is 
widely  known  as  a  leading  educator  of  the  day.  He  is  leav- 
ing an  impress  on  his  generation  for  good.  He  finds  joy  in 
intensity  of  labor  and  in  a  sense  of  service.  The  other  is 
still  a  dissatisfied  pleasure  seeker.  He  has  found  out  that 
the  things  he  has  sought  all  his  life  can  never  give  lasting 
satisfaction.  But  the  habits  formed  in  youth  are  now  iron- 
strong  about  him,  and  the  day  of  life  is  far  spent.  I  need 
not  tell  you  which  of  these  boys  is  which.  I  need  not  tell 
you  which  of  them  treasured  his  birthright,  which  of  them 
sold  it  for  a  mess  of  pottage. 


58      INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

"  A  charge  to  keep  I  have, 
A  God  to  glorify, 
A  never-dying  soul  to  save. 
And  fit  it  for  the  sky. 

"  To  serve  the  present  age. 
My  calling  to  fulfill — 
Oh,  may  it  all  my  powers  engage 
To  do  my  Master's  will." 


SUNDAY  SESSION 

JACOB  IN  GOD'S  SCHOOL  OF  LIFE 

Gen.  28  :10-22  ;  32  :3-21 ;  45  :25-28 

If  we  are  attentive  students  God  will  teach  us  some 
valuable  lesson  every  day,  so  that  the  longer  we  live  the 
wiser  we  shall  become.  There  are  certain  great  truths,  how- 
ever, which  we  are  apt  to  learn  only  at  certain  times.  Some 
disappointment,  or  sorrow,  or  joy  suddenly  brings  the  truth 
before  us,  and  we  see  it  in  a  way  which  makes  it  impossible 
for  us  to  forget  it.  We  shall  consider,  in  this  lesson,  three 
such  periods  in  the  life  of  Jacob. 

Alone  in  the  Valley  of  Luz.  Jacob,  fleeing  from  the 
wrath  of  his  brother  Esau,  had  spent  the  first  day  of 
his  long  journey  to  Haran.  He  had  traveled  many  miles 
and  had  come  at  sunset  into  a  deep  and  rocky  valley. 
He  had  been  a  quiet,  home-loving  boy  and  this  was 
probably  his  first  night  away  from  his  father's  fireside. 
With  approaching  darkness,  fears  and  loneliness  grew  upon 
him.  There  were  real  .dangers  about,  for  the  country 
abounded  in  wild  animals  and  fierce  robber  bands.  The 
young  man  was  anxious  about  things  concerning  which  hf. 
had  heretofore  thought  but  little.  He  had  taken  food, 
shelter,  and  clothing  as  a  matter  of  course.  Now  he  was 
asking  himself :  "  Where  shall  I  get  something  to  eat  on  the 
long  journey?  Shall  I  find  some  one  to  give  me  shelter  and 
a  home  in  the  distant  Haran?  Where  am  I  to  get  clothes, 
since  my  father  will  not  be  there  with  his  flocks  of  sheep, 
neither  will  my  mother  be  there  with  her  busy  spinning 
wheel?      Shall  I  ever  see  the  old  home  tent  again  by  the 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS      59 

springs  of  Beer-sheba  ?  "  How  dear  to  him  now  were  his 
father  whom  he  had  deceived,  and  his  brother  whom  he 
had  defrauded !  He  was  getting  some  lessons  in  apprecia- 
tion which  he  could  never  forget. 

Lying  down  upon  the  grass  of  the  valley  floor  he  put  a 
stone  under  his  head  for  a  pillow,  and,  being  tired  by  his 
long  journey,  he  was  soon  slipping  off  into  slumber.  The 
last  thing  on  which  his  eyes  rested  was  the  steep  cliff  before 
him  rising  like  a  giant  stairway,  with  the  last  rays  of  the 
setting  sun  reflected  from  its  summit  crags. 

As  Jacob  slept  a  wonderful  dream  came  to  him.  He 
dreamed  that  he  saw  a  ladder  reaching  up  to  heaven,  with 
angels  ascending  and  descending  upon  it.  He  heard  the 
voice  of  God  speaking  to  him  in  his  dream  and  saying.  "  I 
am  Jehovah,  the  God  of  Abraham  thy  father,  and  the  God 
of  Isaac:  the  land  whereon  thou  liest,  to  thee  will  I  give  it, 
and  to  thy  seed ;  and  thy  seed  shall  be  as  the  dust  of  the 
earth,  and  thou  shalt  spread  abroad  to  the  west,  and  to  the 
east,  and  to  the  north,  and  to  the  south :  and  in  thee  and  in 
thy  seed  shall  all  the  families  of  the  earth  be  blessed.  And, 
behold,  I  am  with  thee,  and  will  keep  thee  whithersoever  thou 
goest,  and  will  bring  thee  again  into  this  land;  for  I  will 
not  leave  thee,  until  I  have  done  that  which  I  have  spoken 
to  thee  of." 

With  the  dawn  Jacob  awoke.  He  had  learned  a  great 
lesson  in  his  dream  of  the  night.  He  knew  now  that  he  was 
not  alone.  "  Surely  God  is  here,"  said  he,  "  and  I  knew  it 
not."  Taking  the  stone  which  he  had  used  as  a  pillow  he 
made  an  altar  of  it  and  there  in  the  light  of  the  early  morn- 
ing, he  worshiped  the  God  of  Abraham  and  of  Isaac.  Then 
he  made  a  vow  that  he  would  give  one  tenth  of  everything 
he  should  ever  possess  to  God. 

Alone  by  the  Fords  of  the  Jabbok.  Years  passed  away 
and  Jacob  was  no  longer  a  boy.  He  was  a  man  in 
middle  life  and  was  on  his  way  back  to  his  father's  home 
at  Beer-sheba.  He  had  with  him  his  wives  and  his  chil- 
dren and  his  flocks.  He  was  afraid,  for  he  was  going 
to  meet  Esau,  the  wronged  brother,  who  had  threatened 
to  take  his  life  and  from  whose  presence  he  had  fled  so 
many  years  before.  He  sent  messengers  to  Esau,  but  they 
brought  back  word  which  caused  him  only  to  fear  the  more. 


60      INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

Esau  was  coming  to  meet  him  "with  four  hundred  men.  He 
remembered  his  youthful  sins  and  grieved  to  think  that  they 
were  now  a  menace,  not  only  to  him,  but  to  his  wives  and  his 
children. 

He  divided  his  household  and  his  flocks  into  two  bands, 
so  that  if  one  fell  into  the  hands  of  Esau,  the  other  might 
escape.  He  sent  these  bands  across  the  Jabbok  River  while 
he  tarried  behind  alone  by  the  river's  brink  where  he  prayed 
all  night  to  God  for  the  safety  of  his  wives  and  little  ones. 
Let  us  listen  reverently  to  the  prayer  of  this  strong  man  in 
the  hour  of  his  anxiety  and  utmost  need. 


"  O  God  of  my  father  Abraham,  and  God  of  my  father  Isaac, 
O  Jehovah,  who  saidst  unto  me.  Return  unto  thy  country,  and  to 
thy  kindred,  and  I  will  do  thee  good:  I  am  not  worthy  of  the 
least  of  all  the  loving  kindnesses,  and  of  all  the  truth,  which 
thou  hast  shown  unto  thy  servant;  for  with  my  staff  I  passed 
over  this  Jordan;  and  now  I  am  become  two  companies.  De- 
liver me,  I  pray  thee,  from  the  hand  of  my  brother,  from  the 
hand  of  Esau:  for  I  fear  him,  lest  he  come  and  smite  me,  the 
mother  with  the  children.  And  thou  saidst,  I  will  surely  do  thee 
good,  and  make  thy  seed  as  the  sand  of  the  sea,  which  cannot  be 
numbered  for  multitude." 


God  heard  and  answered  this  all-night  prayer.  As  the 
sun  rose,  Jacob  crossed  the  river  and  went  to  meet  his 
brother,  and  he  was  no  longer  afraid. 

Mysteries  Made  Plain.  Jacob  was  now  an  old  man. 
He  had  seen  many  troubles,  but  one  great  sorrow  had 
darkened  his  declining  years.  He  had  never  ceased  to 
mourn  the  loss  of  his  beloved  son,  Joseph,  who,  as  he 
believed,  had  been  killed  by  wild  beasts  in  his  early 
youth.  Another  of  his  sons  had  been  held  a  prisoner  in 
Egypt,  and  now  they  had  all  gone  down  there  again  with 
little  Benjamin  as  one  of  their  number.  The  heart  of  the 
old  man  trembled  for  his  boys.  Would  they  all  return 
in  safety?  Would  they  bring  Benjamin  with  them,  or 
would  this  son  of  his  beloved  Rachel  disappear  as  Joseph 
had  disappeared  so  long  ago?  Dark  clouds  seemed  to  be 
gathering  around  him. 

But  the  sons  returned  at  last ;  everyone  was  safe.  There 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS      61 

was  Simeon  who  had  been  absent  so  long  in  Egypt  as  a 
prisoner  of  Pharaoh.  But  the  sons  had  more  wonderful 
news  yet  for  their  aged  father.  They  told  him  of  finding 
Joseph  in  Egypt  where  he  was  ruler  over  all  the  land.  Jacob 
could  not  believe  their  report  at  first,  but  when  he  saw  the 
great  wagons  which  Joseph  had  sent  to  bring  him  and  all 
his  household  into  Egypt,  he  believed,  and  his  heart  was 
filled  with  joy. 

Thk  Lesson  Prayer 

Our  Father  in  heaven,  we  ask  thee  to  teach  us,  day  by 
day,  to  do  thy  will.  Help  us  to  appreciate  thy  goodness 
and  thy  gifts.  Help  us  to  appreciate  all  that  our  parents, 
teachers,  and  friends  do  for  us.  May  we  show  our  grati- 
tude to  thee  by  doing  thy  will.  May  we  show  our  gratitude 
to  our  parents  and  friends  by  being  kind  to  them  and 
helping  them.  May  we  find  pleasure  in  our  tasks,  in  our 
helpfulness  to  others,  in  doing  something  to  make  the 
world  a  better  place  in  which  to  live.  We  thank  thee  for 
the  beautiful  stories  of  the  Bible.  Help  us  to  understand 
the  lessons  they  teach.  Help  us  to  live  according  to  their 
teachings.  May  we  honor  thee  as  long  as  we  live,  and  be 
useful  to  thee  in  thy  great  task  of  making  all  the  world 
good  and  true.  We  ask  in  the  name  of  thy  Son,  our  Saviour. 
Amen. 


The  Lesson  Hymn 

Nearer,  my  God,  to  thee, 

Nearer  to  thee! 
E'en  though  it  be  a  cross 

That  raiseth  me; 
Still  all  my  song'  shall  be, 
Nearer,  my  God,  to  thee, 
Nearer  to  thee! 

Though  like  the  wanderer, 
The  sun  gone  down. 

Darkness  be  over  me, 
My  rest  a  stone; 

Yet  in  my  dreams  I'd  be 

Nearer,  my  God,  to  thee, 

Nearer  to  thee! 


62      INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

"  There  let  the  way  appear, 

Steps  unto  heaven: 
All  that  thou  send'st  to  me 

In  mercy  given: 
Angels  to  beckon  me 
Nearer,  my  God,  to  thee, 
Nearer  to  thee! 

"  Then,  with  my  waking  thoughts 
Bright  with  thy  praise. 
Out  of  my  stony  griefs 

Bethel  I'll  raise; 
So  by  my  woes  to  be 
Nearer,  my  God,  to  thee. 
Nearer  to  thee!  " 


EXPRESSIONAL  SESSION 

LESSONS  FOR  INTERMEDIATES  FROM  THE  LIFE 
OF  JACOB 

Gen.,  chs.  2S,  32 

Suggestions  for  the  Leader's  Opening  Address 

One  of  the  great  lessons  we  can  learn  from  the  life  of 
Jacob  is  that  of  tithing.  When  Jacob  woke  up  and  found 
that  God  was  near  and  going  to  keep  him  safe  and  bring 
him  back  to  his  father's  house,  he  felt  as  if  he  owed  some- 
thing to  God.  He  set  up  an  altar  and  worshiped,  but  he 
felt  that  he  ought  to  do  more.  So  he  vowed  that  he  would 
make  it  the  rule  of  his  life  to  give  a  tenth  of  all  he  earned 
to  God.  The  matter  of  giving  is  a  very  important  part  of  a 
Christian's  habits.  He  cannot  grow  as  he  should  if  he  re- 
fuses to  honor  God  by  giving  something  for  God's  work  in 
the  world.  And  the  Church  cannot  grow  without  the  gifts  of 
its  members,  for  without  funds  the  Church  cannot  send 
missionaries  into  foreign  countries,  nor  into  the  frontier 
sections  of  the  homeland.  H  all  Christians  gave  as  they 
should,  we  could  have  better  Sunday  schools,  better  churches, 
and  the  gospel  could  be  carried  to  all  the  earth  in  one  gener- 
ation.   I  think  that  Jacob  showed  that  he  "  meant  business  " 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS      63 

when  he  promised  to  give  God  a  tenth  of  all  the  property  he 
should  ever  possess. 

Study  Topics 

1.  The  Lesson  from  the  Life  of  Jacob  Which  Helps 
Me  Most. 

2.  Wihat  Is  the  Tenth  Legion? 

3.  What  Can  Intermediates  Do  to  Show  Their  Appre- 
ciation of  Their  Parents;  of  Their  Teachers;  of  Their 
Friends? 

4.  How  Much  Time  Ought  an  Intermediate  to  Give 
to  Such  Recreation  as  Attending  the  "Movies"? 

5.  Lessons  I  Have  Learned  from  the  Experiences  of 
Life. 

6.  Daniel,  a  Boy  Who  Would  Not  Sell  His  Birthright. 
Dan.,  ch.  1. 

7.  Things  for  Which  Some  People  Sell  Their  Birth- 
right. 

8.  Right  Ways  to  Spend  Sunday. 

9.  Wrong  Ways  to  Spend  Sunday. 

Ve:rse:s  for  Use  in  the  Meeting 
Neh.  13:1-22;  Ps.  24:1,2;  Mai.  3:10;  II  Cor.  8:9;  9:6 

Committees  to  Be  Appointed 

Tenth  Legion  Committee.  To  consider  the  advisability 
of  forming  a  Tenth  Legion  v/ithin  the  class.  (Send  for 
particulars  to  United  Society  of  Christian  Endeavor,  Bos- 
ton.) A  Committee  on  Benevolences.  To  determine  to 
what  causes  the  offerings  of  the  class  shall  be  given.  A 
Sabbath  Observance  Committee.  To  report  on  "How  the 
Sabbath  Is  Observed  in  Our  Community  and  What  We 
Can  Do  to  Help." 

Things  to  Be  Done  by  Individuals  of  the  Ceass 

1.  Make  out  a  program  of  "  How  I  Spend  a  Week 
Day,"  showing  hours  spent  in  play,  sleep,  recreation, 
reading,  work,  and  so  on. 


64      INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

2.  Make  out  a  program  on  "  How  I  Spend  Sunday," 
showing  time  spent  in  sleep,  recreation,  worship,  Bible 
study,  and  so  on. 

The  Class  Code 

The  Law  of  the  Priceless  Birthright.  We  are  made 
in  God's  likeness,  and  the  things  which  make  us  like  him  are 
worth  more  than  anything  else  in  the  world.    Therefore : 

1.  We  will  try  to  avoid  anything  which  will  make  us  less 
like  our  Father  in  heaven. 

2.  We  will  try  to  do  the  things  which  make  us  more  like 
God. 

3.  We  will  try  to  lead  others  to  keep  their  birthright,  and 
not  barter  it  away  for  useless  pottage. 


CHAPTER  VI 

JOSEPH:  HOW  MISFORTUNES  BECAME  BLESS- 
INGS THROUGH  THE  PROVIDENCE  OF  GOD 

WEEK  DAY  SESSION 

DREAMS  OF  YOUTH  AND  YEARS  OF  TESTING  ERE 
THE  DREAMS  CAME  TRUE 

Gen.,  ch.  37 

When  Jacob  returned  from  his  sojourn  at  Haran,  he 
brought  back  eleven  sons  with  him.  One  son  was  born 
after  his  return  to  Canaan  making  the  number  of  his  sons 
twelve.  These  twelve  sons  became  the  founders  of  the 
twelve  tribes  of  the  Jewish  nation.  Joseph  and  Banjamin 
were  the  sons  of  Rachel  and  were  younger  than  the  other 
sons  of  Jacob.  The  family  through  which  God  was 
planning  to  bless  the  world  now  had  a  good  start  with 
these  twelve  lusty  sons  of  Jacob.  They  soon  had  families 
of  their  own  and  the  descendants  of  Abraham  grew  rap- 
idly into  a  numerous  race.  But  God  was  seeking  some- 
thing more  important  than  strength  of  numbers.  He 
was  seeking  character,  and  to  develop  that  all-important 
element  in  this  chosen  race  took  many  years  and  many 
hard  experiences. 

A  Young  Lad's  Dream  of  Future  Greatness.  Boys 
who  grow  up  to  be  men  truly  great  and  girls  who 
grow  up  to  be  women  truly  great  are  apt  to  think  about 
their  life  work  even  when  they  are  quite  young.  They 
have  dreams  of  all  they  are  to  be  and  all  they  are  to  do 
yonder  in  the  years  that  are  ahead.  They  are  worthily 
ambitious.  Boys  and  girls  with  such  ambitions  do  not 
live  for  the  fickle  pleasures  of  the  moment.  Sometimes 
they  seem  to  be  conscious  of  a  great  destiny  long  before 
they  have  left  the  days  of  childhood.  It  is  said  that  when 
Abraham  Lincoln  was  a  boy,  he  sometimes  paused  in  the 
midst  of  his  play  or  his  other  occupation  and  said,  "  I 
must  some  day  be  president  of  the  United  States."  We 
call  such  a  feeling  regarding  the  future  a  premonition. 

65 


66      INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

Columbus  is  said  to  have  had  premonitions  as  a  boy  which 
lead  him  to  believe  that  he  should  some  day  sail  far  across 
the  oceans  to  lands  unknown.  Spurgeon  when  he  was  a 
boy  felt  sure  that  he  should  some  time  preach  in  the  great 
churches  of  England.  Perhaps  God  gives  us  these  dreams 
of  youth  to  spur  us  on  to  great  and  early  efifort  to  ac- 
complish something  worthy  in  life,  for  a  really  great  life 
work  needs  constant  devotion  and  an  early  start.  He 
leads  us  to  dream  of  great  life  tasks  early  in  life  because 
they  are  then  possible.  There  is  time  then  to  get  ready 
for  great  life  undertakings. 

Sometimes  young  people  think  so  much  about  all  they 
are  to  be  and  do  that  they  dream  about  these  things  at 
night.  This  may  have  been  the  case  with  Joseph.  He 
had  some  remarkable  dreams.  He  dreamed  that  he  was 
binding  sheaves  in  the  harvest  field  and  that  all  his 
brothers'  sheaves  bowed  down  to  his  sheaf  as  subjects  of 
a  king  bow  before  their  sovereign.  Again  he  dreamed 
that  one  star  in  the  sky  was  his  and  other  stars  belonged 
to  his  brothers.  All  his  brothers'  stars,  however,  bowed 
to  his  star  and  even  the  sun  and  moon  did  the  same. 

Little  Seeds  of  Evil  That  Grow  Into  Great  Crimes. 
The  ten  big  sons  of  Jacob  were  not  pleased  with 
Joseph's  dreams.  Even  Joseph's  father  was  displeased 
and  inquired  whether  he  and  Joseph's  mother,  as  well  as 
all  the  other  sons,  should  some  day  bow  down  to  this  one 
son  as  their  ruler.  The  older  sons  began  to  be  jealous  of 
their  young  brother.  Jealousy  is  a  terribly  dangerous  sin 
because  it  groAvs  rapidly  and  soon  causes  the  one  who 
gives  it  a  lodging  place  to  lose  his  sense  of  truth  and 
justice.  The  big  brothers  brooded  over  these  dreams  and 
doubtless  talked  to  one  another  about  them.  The  more 
they  brooded  and  talked  the  more  they  disliked  their 
brother. 

Soon  another  occasion  for  their  dislike  of  Joseph  arose. 
One  day  Jacob  sent  Joseph  into  the  fields  to  see  how  his 
sons  were  getting  along  with  the  flocks.  Joseph  found 
them  doing  something  they  ought  not  to  have  been  do- 
ing. He  reported  it  to  his  father.  The  older  brothers 
were  now  still  more  angry  at  Joseph.  They  thought  of 
him  not  only  as  a  dreamer,  but  as  a  talebearer. 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS      67 

About  this  time  Jacob  presented  Joseph  with  a  coat  of 
many  colors.  This  made  the  older  brothers  still  more 
jealous  and  covetous.  Perhaps  they  thought  of  this  coat 
as  marking  Joseph  as  the  head  of  the  family,  the  leg-al 
successor  of  their  father,  Jacob.  Low  and  mean  and 
envious  feelings  filled  their  hearts  as  their  suspicions 
grew. 

It  came  to  pass  at  the  time  when  this  ill  feeling  was  at 
its  height  among  the  sons  of  Jacob,  that  Joseph  was  sent 
out  again  by  his  father  to  see  how  the  older  sons  were 
getting  along  with  the  flocks.  Joseph  came  to  Shechem 
but  they  were  not  there.  A  stranger  told  him  that  they 
had  gone  on  farther  to  Dothan,  so  Joseph  sought  them 
there.  His  brothers  saw  him  at  a  distance  and  all  their 
cruel  hatred  was  aroused  at  the  sight  of  him.  They  said 
among  themselves  :  "  Behold,  this  dreamer  cometh.  Come 
now  therefore,  and  let  us  slay  him,  and  cast  him  into  one 
of  the  pits,  and  we  will  say^  An  evil  beast  hath  devoured 
him ;  and  we  shall  see  what  will  become  of  his  dreams." 
The  little  seeds  of  evil  in  the  hearts  of  the  brothers  had 
grown  until  they  were  ready  for  the  committing  of  great 
crimes. 

The  Brothers  Not  All  Bad.  It  is  good  to  know  that 
not  all  the  older  sons  of  Jacob  were  ready  to  do  this  ter- 
rible act.  Reuben,  the  eldest  son,  said :  "  Let  us  not  take 
his  life.  Shed  no  blood ;  cast  him  into  this  pit  that  is  in 
the  wilderness,  but  lay  no  hand  upon  him."  This  kind- 
hearted  elder  brother  was  planning  to  come  back  and 
take  Joseph  out  of  the  pit  that  he  might  take  him  back  to 
his  father. 

There  was  at  least  one  other  son  of  Jacob  who  shrank 
from  the  terrible  deed  which  had  been  proposed.  After 
the  brothers  had  stripped  Joseph  of  his  coat  of  many 
colors  they  put  him  in  the  pit ;  then  they  killed  a  kid  and 
dipped  the  coat  in  the  blood  that  they  might  make  their 
father  think  some  wild  beast  had  devoured  his  son.  As 
these  cruel  brothers  were  sitting  down,  eating  their  mid- 
day meal,  a  caravan  of  Ishmaelite  traders  drew  near,  and 
Judah  proposed  that  instead  of  killing  their  brother  they 
should  sell  him  as  a  slave  to  the  Ishmaelites.  Judah  was 
evidently  not  quite  so  bad  as  some  of  the  others,  though 


68      INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOI.  LESSONS 

the  fate  which  he  coolly  proposed  for  his  young  brother 
would  in  most  cases  be  almost  as  bad  as  the  one  proposed 
by  the  others.  To  be  sold  into  slavery  in  those  days  did 
mean,  indeed,  sometimes  a  fate  worse  than  death. 

Sin's  Scourge  for  the  Innocent.  One  of  the  worst  things 
about  sin  is  the  fact  that  it  brings  sufferings  and  sor- 
rows to  people  who  are  innocent.  It  brings  retribution 
on  those  who  commit  the  sin  either  at  once  or  at  some 
future  time,  but  it  also  scourges  those  who  are  in  no 
way  responsible  for  the  transgression.  Reuben  was 
certainly  less  to  blame  than  the  other  brothers,  but  he 
was  the  first  to  feel  the  pangs  of  sorrow  for  what  had 
been  done.  He  evidently  was  not  present  when  Joseph 
was  sold.  Coming  around  to  the  pit  in  order  to  carry 
out  his  plan  and  carry  Joseph  back  to  his  father  he  found 
it  empty.  In  great  distress  of  soul,  he  tore  his  garments. 
As  the  eldest  brother  he  felt  himself  responsible  for  the 
safety  of  this  younger  brother.  He  was  not  one  of 
these  hard-hearted  people  who  ask,  **  Am  I  my  brother's 
keeper?"  Coming  to  his  brothers  he  cried,  "The  child 
is  not;  and  I,  whither  shall  I  go?  " 

The  treacherous  brothers  brought  the  blood-stained 
coat  to  their  old  father  saying,  "  This  have  we  found ; 
know  now  whether  it  is  thy  son's  coat  or  not."  The  grief 
of  Jacob  must  have  been  terrible  to  behold.  "  It  is  my 
son's  coat,"  he  said.  "  An  evil  beast  hath  devoured  him ; 
Joseph  is  without  doubt  torn  in  pieces."  In  his  grief  he 
tore  his  garments  and  clothed  himself  in  sackcloth.  All 
his  sons  and  daughters  tried  to  comfort  him,  but  he  wept 
and  said,  "  I  will  go  down  to  Sheol  to  my  son,  mourning." 
What  a  harvest  of  sorrow  and  distress  the  little  seeds 
of  envy  and  jealousy  were  beginning  to  bring  forth,  but 
the  end  was  not  yet! 

A  Slave  in  Egypt.  The  Ishmaelites  carried  Joseph 
down  into  Egypt  where  he  was  sold  as  a  slave.  In  some 
wonderful  way,  God  can  make  even  the  evil-intentioned 
acts  of  men  result  in  something  valuable  and  good  to 
those  who  love  and  obey  him.  It  proved  to  be  a  good 
thing  for  everyone  that  Joseph  was  sold  into  Egypt,  but 
that  does  not  make  the  sin  of  the  brothers  any  less. 

The  Patient  Father  in  Heaven.     You  doubtless  have 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOIv  LESSONS      69 

thought  that  the  family  God  had  chosen  to  bless  the 
world  were  not  doing  very  well,  and,  indeed  they  were 
not.  Most  of  the  sons  of  the  family  had  brought  a  great 
sorrow  to  their  father  rather  than  a  blessing.  But  God 
is  a  Father  of  wondrous  patience.  He  never  gives  up 
even  though  his  children  disobey  his  commandments  and 
disappoint  his  hopes.  Out  of  this  disappointing  family 
he  would  yet  bring  great  good.  Of  their  race  should  be 
born  the  Saviour  of  the  world. 


SUNDAY  SESSION 

DREAMS  OF  YOUTH  MADE  TO  COME  TRUE 
Gen.,  chs.  39  to  48 

In  Egypt  Joseph  was  sold  to  an  officer  of  the  army. 
His  master's  name  was  Potiphar.  This  must  have  been 
a  great  change  for  Joseph.  He  had  been  his  father's 
favorite  son  carefully  reared  and  guarded,  a  thoughtful 
boy  dreaming  of  the  years  of  manhood  just  ahead.  Now 
he  was  a  slave  in  a  country  utterly  different  from  his 
homeland.  Instead  of  the  far-stretching  Judean  hills  he 
saw  great  palaces  and  temples  and  streets  and  busy 
market  places. 

A  Youth  Who  Could  Not  Be  Kept  Down.  In  a  little 
while  Joseph's  new  master  began  to  find  out  that  he 
had  made  a  great  bargain  in  purchasing  this  young  He- 
brew slave.  He  was  no  common,  shirking,  lazy,  un- 
truthful fellow  as  so  many  slaves  were.  He  was  honest, 
industrious,  capable.  In  a  short  time  Potiphar  made 
this  new  slave  overseer  of  all  his  other  servants  and 
head  of  his  household  affairs.  Joseph  had  met  his  first 
great  misfortune,  had  conquered  it  and  made  it  a  step- 
ping-stone to  usefulness  and  opportunity. 

Then  came  another  great  misfortune.  The  wicked  wife 
of  Potiphar  accused  Joseph  falsely.  Potiphar  believed 
his  wife,  and  Joseph  was  sent  to  prison.  Prisons  in  those 
days  were  dreadful  places,  far  more  terrible  than  they  are 


70      INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

to-day.  Joseph  was  now  not  only  a  slave  but  a  slave  cast 
into  prison  as  a  criminal.  Even  here  Joseph  showed  that 
he  was  a  youth  who  could  not  be  kept  down.  In  a  little 
while  he  won  the  friendship  and  confidence  of  the  keeper 
of  the  prison  to  such  an  extent  that  he  was  given  charge 
of  all  the  other  prisoners. 

Joseph  was  a  young  man  who  could  rise  in  spite  of 
adverse  circumstances.  As  a  slave  in  Potiphar's  house- 
hold he  became  head  of  the  house ;  as  a  slave  in  prison  he 
became  overseer  of  the  whole  establishment.  He  had 
qualities  of  character  which  fitted  him  for  leadership.  He 
was  so  helpful  to  others  that  they  could  hardly  help  giv- 
ing him  responsibilities. 

A  Lad  Who  Never  Sulked.  Joseph  remained  in  prison 
for  more  than  two  years.  It  must  have  seemed  a  long 
time  to  him  and  possibly  he  sometimes  felt  as  if  he  were 
likely  to  spend  the  rest  of  his  life  there.  Yet  he  never 
grew  sulky.  He  never  said,  "  It's  no  use  trying  to  do 
anything  worth  while,  for  everybody  and  everything  is 
against  me."  He  never  pitied  himself  and  said  to  him- 
self: "  I  have  tried  to  do  what  is  right  and  I  suffer  for  it. 
What's  the  use  trying  to  do  good  to  other  people ;  they 
don't  appreciate  it  and  your  efforts  only  get  you  into 
trouble."  He  never  lost  faith  in  God  and  he  never  lost 
faith  in  his  fellow  men.  Joseph  had,  indeed,  been  treated 
very  cruelly  by  his  brothers  and  very  unjustly  by  Poti- 
phar,  but  these  instances  of  wrongdoing  on  the  part  of 
some  of  his  fellow  men  did  not  make  him  sour  toward  all 
mankind. 

A  Cheerful  Helper  of  Those  in  Need.  Joseph  seems 
to  have  been  too  busy  thinking  about  other  people 
and  trying  to  help  them  to  have  much  time  for  iDrood- 
ing  over  his  own  wrongs.  He  seems  to  have  kept  a 
bright  and  happy  disposition  throughout  all  his  mis- 
fortunes. One  day  two  officers  of  the  king  were  cast 
into  the  prison.  In  the  night  these  officers  had  each  a 
certain  dream.  Each  was  troubled  by  the  dream  for  each 
felt  that  his  dream  meant  some  event  of  importance  in 
his  life.  When  Joseph  came  into  the  presence  of  these 
officers  he  read  perplexity  and  sorrow  in  their  faces.  If 
Joseph  had  been  sulking  over  his  own  -wrongs  he  would 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS      71 

never  have  noticed  the  sadness  of  these  imprisoned  offi- 
cers of  the  king,  or  if  he  had  noticed  it  he  would  not  have 
cared,  but  Joseph  was  not  sulking.  How  cheerfully  he 
addresses  these  officials,  *'  Wherefore  look  ye  so  sad  to- 
day?" It  was  probably  this  unselfish  thoughtfulness  for 
the  comfort  and  happiness  of  others  that  made  Joseph  a 
young  man  whom  no  circumstances  could  keep  down. 

Humble  Greatness.  Joseph  was  a  really  great  young 
man  because  he  was  great  in  character.  He  was  a  slave, 
but  even  a  slave  can  have  character  and  be  a  great  man 
in  every  way,  greater  than  any  man  can  possibly  be 
without  character.  And  yet  Joseph  was  humble.  All 
truly  great  people  are  humble.  When  Joseph  at  last 
stood  before  Pharaoh  and  the  ruler  of  the  greatest  nation 
of  the  world  spoke  kindly  to  him,  there  was  no  unseemly 
manifestation  of  pride.  *'  I  am  told,"  said  Pharaoh,  "  that 
you  can  interpret  dreams."  Joseph  modestly  replied,  "  It 
is  not  in  me :  God  will  give  Pharaoh  an  answer  of  peace." 

A  Lad  Who  Made  Good  When  Opportunity  Came. 
Joseph  was  now  suddenly  exalted  from  prison  to  ruler- 
ship  second  only  to  the  throne  in  power  and  authority. 
The  great  opportunity  of  his  life  had  come.  What  a 
tragedy  it  would  have  been  if  he  had  not  been  ready.  He 
had  been  through  a  hard  school  but  he  had  learned  his 
lessons  well.  He  had  not  been  found  wanting.  He  had 
learned  to  labor  on  under  hard  affliction.  He  had  learned 
to  be  cheerful  under  wrongs  and  discouragement.  He 
had  developed  the  habit  of  helpfulness.  He  had  learned 
how  to  rule  a  great  nation  by  rising  to  leadership  as  a 
slave  and  a  prisoner.  He  was  a  strong  man,  efficient, 
wise,  capable.  He  was  pure.  In  the  corrupting  society 
of  the  world's  great  capital  he  had  lived  up  to  the  high 
standards  of  morality  taught  him  in  his  father's  tent  in 
the  wilderness.  He  had  kept  his  garments  undefiled.  He 
had  kept  faith  with  God  and  faith  in  God.  The  lad  who 
lives  as  Joseph  lived  will  leave  his  mark  for  good  on  the 
world ;  he  will  not  be  found  wanting  when  his  great  life 
opportunity  comes. 

Strong  but  Tender.  Joseph  had  grown  into  a  strong 
manhood,  but  his  heart  had  not  lost  its  tenderness.  Some 
of  the  greatest  and  strongest  men  of  history  have  had 


ri      INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

the  most  tender  afifection  for  their  friends  and  relatives 
and  for  little  children.  Joseph  was  such  a  man.  He  could 
deal  sternly  with  his  brothers  that  he  might  test  them 
and  find  out  whether  or  not  they  were  the  same  kind  of 
brothers  who  had  sold  him  into  slavery,  but  he  wept  when 
he  made  himself  known  to  them.  He  kissed  his  aged 
father  and  wept  on  his  neck. 

The:  LivSSON  Prayer 

O  God,  our  Father  in  heaven,  thou  hast  taught  us 
what  is  right  and  good  in  the  lives  of  the  great  ancl  good 
men  and  women  of  the  Bible  and  of  history.  Help  us  to 
love  those  things  which  make  for  purity  and  strength  of 
character.  Help  us  to  be  worthily  ambitious.  May  we, 
one  and  all,  live  for  something  greater  than  s'elfish 
pleasure.  May  we  strive  to  do  good  and  to  make  our 
lives  a  blessing  to  others.  Help  us  to  be  true  to  the  les- 
sons of  truth  we  have  learned  in  our  homes  and  in  our 
church  school.  Help  us  to  be  ready  for  useful  labor  when 
we  grow  to  manhood  and  womanhood  and  the  opportuni- 
ties for  larger  usefulness  come  to  us.  Help  us  to  get 
ready  for  these  larger  tasks  by  doing  our  present  tasks 
well.  We  would  be  always  cheerful  and  thoughtful  in 
our  homes,  thinking  not  of  self  but  of  the  comfort  and 
happiness  of  others.    Amen. 

TiiK  Lksson  Hymn 

"  How  firm  a  foundation,  ye  saints  of  the  Lord, 
Is  laid  for  your  faith  in  his  excellent  word! 
What  more  can  he  say  than  to  you  he  hath  said — 
You  who  unto  Jesus  for  refuge  have  fled? 

"  '  Fear  not,  I  am  with  thee,  Oh,  be  not  dismayed; 
I,  I  am  thy  God,  and  will  still  give  thee  aid; 
I'll  strengthen  thee,  help  thee,  and  cause  thee  to  stand, 
Upheld  by  my  righteous,  omnipotent  hand. 

"  '  When  through  the  deep  waters  I  call  thee  to  go, 
The  rivers  of  woe  shall  not  thee  overflow; 
For  I  will  be  with  thee  thy  troubles  to  bless, 
Ancl  sanctify  to  thee  thy  deepest  distress. 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS      7Z 

'  When  through  fiery  trials  thy  pathway  shall  lie, 
My  grace,  all-sufficient,  shall  be  thy  supply; 
The  flame  shall  not  hurt  thee;  I  only  design 
Thy  dross  to  consume,  and  thy  gold  to  refine.'  " 


EXPRESSIONAL  SESSION 

LESSONS  FOR  INTERMEDIATES  FROM  THE  LIFE 
OF  JOSEPH 

Sugge:stions  for  the  Le:adi:r's  Ope:ning  Addrkss 

We  have  seen  how  Joseph  grew  to  be  one  of  the  great 
and  strong  men  of  his  day.  It  seems  to  me  that  this 
matter  of  getting  a  strong  character  is  a  good  deal  like 
getting  an  education.  Some  young  people  live  under  the 
shadow  of  our  colleges  and  universities,  but  never  seem 
to  think  it  worth  while  to  get  an  education.  Other 
young  people  have  to  leave  home  and  work  their  way 
through  school  and  yet  do  so  gladly  because  they  desire 
an  education.  It  seems  to  me  it  all  depends  on  ourselves. 
The  experiences  of  Joseph  made  him  one  of  the  great 
men  of  history  but  if  he  had  not  met  these  experiences 
in  the  right  way  they  might  have  made  him  selfish,  un- 
friendly, and  cruel. 


Study  Topics 

1.  Tell  of  Incidents  in  the  Life  of  Joseph  Which  Show 
His  Cheerfulness. 

2.  Tell  of  Incidents  in  the  Life  of  Joseph  Which  Show 
His  Truthfulness. 

3.  Tell  of  Incidents  in  the  Life  of  Joseph  Which  Show 
His  Loyalty  to  God. 

4.  Tell  of  Incidents  in  the  Life  of  Joseph  Which  Show 
a  Forgiving  Spirit. 

5.  Tell  of  Incidents  in  the  Life  of  Joseph  Which  Show 
That  He  Was  Humble. 

6.  What  Incidents  in  the  Life  of  Joseph  Show  That 
He  Was  Unselfish? 


74      INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

7.  How  Does  the  World  War  Show  That  vSin  Causes 
Innocent  People  to  Suffer? 

8.  What  is  the   Best   Way   for   Young   People   to   Get 
Ready  for  the  Opportunities  of  Life? 

9.  What  Is  Envy  and  What  Effect  Does  It  Have  on 
One's  Character? 

10.  How  Do  Great  Crimes  Usually  Begin? 

Versks  for  Use  in  the;  MivKTing 

Prov.    15:13;    II    Cor.    9:7;    John    10:33;    Acts    23:11; 
Ps.  4:7;  45:7;  122:1;  Isa.  35:10. 


Committe:ks  to  Be;  Appointed 

Committee  on  Child  Life  in  Our  Community.  Let  this 
committee  report  on  such  matters  as,  1.  Number  of  chil- 
dren enrolled  in  public  schools.  2.  Children  of  colored 
or  foreign  parentage.  3.  Housing  conditions.  4.  Play- 
grounds. 5.  Kind  of  moving--picture  theatres  and  other 
amusement  places.  G.  What  our  class  can  do  to  help  the 
children  of  the  community. 

Things  to  Be  Done  by  Individuae  Members  oe  the 
Class  or  by  Committees 

1.  Find  out  about  Thomas  J.  Barnardo  and  his  work 
for  the  poor  children  of  England. 

2.  Find  out  about  Ben  Lindsay  and  his  work  for  boys. 

3.  What  is  a  Juvenile  Court?  Is  there  one  in  your 
community?  For  what  offenses  are  children  brought 
before  such  courts?    What  is  done  with  them? 

4.  Find  out  about  Boy's  Aid  Organizations. 

The  Ceass  Code 

The  Law  of  Cheerfulness.  Nothing  is  ever  gained  by 
becoming  sour  and  sulky.     Therefore  : 

1.  We  will  not  become  cross  and  sulky  when  we  can- 
not have  our  own  way. 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS      75 

2.  We  will  try  to  look  always  on  the  bright  side  of 
every  event  or  circumstance. 

3.  We  will  try  to  help  other  people  to  find  the  road  of 
life  which  is  cheerful  and  which  leads  to  lasting  hap- 
piness. 


CHAPTER  Vll 

MOSES:  A  MIGHTY  TASK  ACCOMPLISHED  BY 
THE  GRACE  AND  POWER  OF  GOD 

WEEK  DAY  SESSION 

GOD  PREPARING  A  MAN  FOR  A  GREAT  LIFE  TASK 
Ex.,  chs.  1  to  3 

It  will  be  remembered  that  Joseph  brought  down  his 
father  and  all  his  brothers  out  of  Canaan  and  gave  them 
a  home  in  a  part  of  Egypt  called  the  land  of  Goshen. 
In  a  few  generations  the  descendants  of  Jacob's  twelve 
sons  grew  to  be  a  great  multitude  of  people.  They  filled 
the  land  of  Goshen  which  the  ruler  of  Egypt  had  given 
them  as  their  home.  They  were  a  people  physically 
strong  and  mentally  vigorous.  After  some  centuries  there 
was  a  change  in  the  ruling  family  of  Egypt.  The  family 
of  kings  descended  from  the  Pharaoh  of  Joseph's  day  was 
driven  out  and  a  new  ruling  family  established.  These 
Pharaohs  ''who  knew  not  Joseph"  began  to  be  jealous 
of  the  Hebrews.  They  were  afraid  that  these  vigorous 
people  from  Canaan  might  become  strong  enough  to  take 
possession  of  the  whole  country.  In  order  to  keep  the 
Hebrews  down,  the  Egyptians  began  to  make  slaves  of 
them.  The  peaceable  farmers  and  herdsmen  of  Goshen 
were  seized  and  carried  away  and  set  to  work  with  brick 
and  mortar  building  cities  for  Pharaoh.  The  Hebrews 
continued  to  increase,  however.  Hard  work  seemed  to 
make  them  more  vigorous  than  ever.  Luxury  and  dissi- 
pation were  rapidly  ruining  the  greater  part  of  the  Egyp- 
tians and  they  were  more  afraid  than  ever  of  "  Hebrew 
domination."  They  resorted  to  still  more  cruel  measures 
to  keep  the  Hebrews  in  check.  Their  burdens  were  in- 
creased and  a  law  was  enacted  that  every  boy  born  in  a 
Hebrew  home  should  be  destroyed. 

Godly  Parents  and  a  Goodly  Child.  God  was  plan- 
ning to  deliver  his  people  from   the   slavery   of  Egypt. 

76 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS      11 

He  had  a  great  work  for  them  to  do^,  a  work  they  could 
never  do  if  they  were  to  remain  as  an  enslaved  people. 
When  God  has  a  great  task  to  be  done  in  the  world, 
he  begins  to  get  some  person  ready  for  the  task.  Some- 
times he  begins  a  long  time  before  that  person  is  born. 
He  begins  by  training  the  parents  or  grandparents  of 
the  person  who  is  to  undertake  the  great  task  for  him. 
It  was  so  in  this  case.  There  was  living"  at  the  time 
when  Pharaoh's  cruel  laws  were  being  enforced,  a  hus- 
band and  wife  who  were  descendants  of  Jacob's  son, 
Levi.  These  people  had  a  little  baby  boy,  but  they  were 
courageous  enough  to  risk  disobeying  the  cruel  order  of 
Pharaoh.  Their  little  son  was  an  unusually  perfect  child 
and  when  they  looked  at  him  they  made  up  their  minds 
they  would  never  destroy  him,  even  if  Pharaoh  did  com- 
mand them  to  do'  so.  They  hid  their  baby  for  three 
months.  You  know  the  story  of  how  the  mother  of  Moses 
made  a  little  boat  of  bulrushes  and  hid  the  baby  in  the 
river  Nile  and  how  he  was  found  there  by  Pharaoh's 
daughter  who  took  a  fancy  to  him  and  had  him  brought 
up  and  educated  as  her  own  son. 

A  Great  Renunciation.  When  anyone  gives  up  some- 
thing of  great  value  to  himself  because,  by  doing  so  he 
can  render  some  great  service  to  God  or  to  humanity, 
such  a  person  is  said  to  make  a  renunciation.  When 
John  G.  Paton  left  his  comfortable  home  and  all  the 
pleasures  of  a  civilized  country  and  went  to  live  on  the 
cannibal  islands  that  he  might  preach  to  savages  he  made 
a  great  renunciation.  We  learn  to  make  great  renuncia- 
tions by  beginning  with  small  renunciations.  The  boy 
who  misses  a  day's  sport  on  the  ice  because  he  stays  at 
home  to  help  his  mother  makes  a  renunciation.  He  is 
starting  out  on  a  path  which  will  lead  to  a  useful  life  of 
service. 

Moses  grew  up  to  manhood  in  the  palace  of  Pharaoh. 
He  was  regarded  as  a  prince  of  the  ro3^al  family  since  he 
was  the  adopted  son  of  Pharaoh's  daughter.  He  at- 
tended the  best  schools  of  the  land  and  became  skilled 
in  all  the  learning  of  the  Egyptians.  Every  luxury  was 
his.  He  could  give  his  life  to  study,  to  travel,  or  to  the 
pursuits  of  a  soldier,  as  he  saw  fit.     With  his  splendid 


7^      INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

ability  he  could  probably  have  become  king,  himself,  if 
he  had  so  desired. 

]^Ioses  could  not  be  satisfied  with  all  these  things  for 
himself  while  all  his  fellow  Hebrews  were  living  in 
slavery.  If  he  had  been  a  selfish  man  he  would  have  dis- 
owned his  poor  countrymien  and  been  satisfied  with 
wealth  and  honor  for  himself,  but  Moses  was  not  that 
kind  of  man.  He  was  nobly  unselfish.  He  loved  his  own 
people.  His  mother  had  been  his  nurse  even  after  his 
adoption  by  Pharaoh's  daughter  and  she  had  taught  him 
to  love  and  honor  the  God  of  Abraham  and  of  Isaac  and 
of  Jacob,  and  to  respect  the  people  whom  God  had  chosen. 

Moses  doubtless  thought  much  about  these  things  and 
longed  to  gain  liberty  for  his  fellow  Hebrews.  He  was 
willing  to  risk  any  danger  which  might  come  to  him  if 
he  could  only  win  this  blessing  for  his  people.  He  chose 
to  suffer  affliction  with  God's  people  rather  than  to  enjoy 
selfish  pleasures  for  a  season.  He  was  ready  to  make  a 
great  renunciation  when  the  opportunity  came. 

Blunders  of  Youthful  Enthusiasm.  When  we  under- 
take a  great  task  we  need  to  be  enthusiastically  de- 
voted to  it,  but  we  must  also  be  patient  and  tactful. 
Great  tasks  are  problems  for  the  years ;  they  cannot 
be  accomplished  by  one  swift  stroke.  Moses  was  an  im- 
pulsive, quick-tempered  young  man.  He  had  to  learn 
patience  and  perseverance.  He  came  near  to  defeating 
his  own  plans  at  the  very  beginning  by  his  rashness  and 
his  hotness  of  temper.  One  day  he  saw  an  Egyptian 
slave  driver  cruelly  beating  a  poor  Hebrew  slave.  Un- 
controlled anger  seized  Moses  and  he  struck  the  slave 
master  such  a  blow  that  he  fell  down  dead.  Possibly 
Moses  had  no  thought  of  killing  the  Egyptian,  but  now 
that  the  deed  was  done  he  hid  the  body  in  the  sand.  Per- 
haps Moses  had  expected  the  Hebrews  to  rally  to  him 
and  help  win  their  freedom  by  a  mighty  insurrection 
against  their  oppressors,  but  he  was  to  learn  that  these 
brethren  of  his  were  for  the  most  part  cowardly  and 
mean-spirited.  Slavery  had  left  on  them  marks  of  degen- 
eration which  it  would  take  years  to  erase.  The  slave  for 
whose  safety  Moses  had  dared  to  risk  so  much  went 
away  and  told  others  how  Moses  had  killed  the  Egyptian. 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS      79 

Moses  was  now  in  a  situation  of  deadly  peril.  His  own 
people  were  unwilling  to  follow  him.  They  were  un- 
grateful, and  mean-spirited.  The  royal  family  would  cer- 
tainly turn  against  him  as  soon  as  they  knew  about  his 
killing  the  Egyptian  slave  master.  There  was  only  one 
thing  to  do  and  that  was  to  flee  from  the  country. 

The  Discipline  of  the  Desert.  Moses  fled  far  away 
into  the  deserts  of  Arabia.  In  the  wild  and  desolate 
region  which  lies  around  the  foot  of  Mount  Sinai,  Moses 
found  a  home  among  the  desert  tribes.  He  married  a 
daughter  of  a  priest  in  one  of  these  tribes,  settled  down 
and  became  a  shepherd.  For  forty  years  this  former 
prince  of  Egypt  was  the  keeper  of  a  little  band  of  sheep 
in  the  wilderness.  These  years  in  the  deserts  were  a 
part  of  the  education  of  Moses,  a  part  of  the  preparation 
God  was  giving  him  for  his  life  task.  He  was  there 
learning  patience,  faith  in  God,,  and  humility.  The 
deserts  did  something  for  Moses  which  the  schools  of 
Egypt  could  not  do. 

Ready  for  the  Great  Undertaking.  At  the  end  of  the 
forty  years  in  the  deserts,  Moses  was  ready  for  God's 
use.  And  yet  he  had  come  to  feel  that  he  was  not  at 
all  ready  for  such  a  task.  He  shrank  from  it.  He  felt 
his  own  shortcomings.  He  knew  that  he  could  never 
do  the  task  in  his  own  wisdom  and  his  own  strength. 
All  these  things  were  a  help  to  Moses  because  they 
made  him  ready  to  seek  God's  help,  ready  to  do  what- 
ever God  should  command  him  to  do. 

The  Ever  Present  HeepEr 

Around  the  south  pole  lies  a  great  continent,  ice-cov- 
ered and  snow-bound,  a  land  of  endless  winter.  A  few 
years  ago  a  brave  English  explorer  named  Shackleton 
led  an  expedition  into  these  south  polar  regions.  One 
day  Shackleton  and  his  two  companions  were  caueht  in 
a  terrific  antarctic  blizzard  many  miles  away  from  their 
camp.  For  three  days  the  explorers  battled  with  the 
fierce  winds  and  the  blinding  snow.  At  night  they  would 
dig  down  into  the  snow,  cover  themselves  with  a  piece 
of  canvas,  and  cook  a  little  food  over  their  alcohol  stove. 


80      INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

They  knew,  however,  that  they  must  be  up  and  on  again 
early  in  the  morning,  for  their  supply  of  fuel  and  food 
would  last  only  a  few  hours  longer. 

Lieutenant  Shackleton  tells,  in  his  book  describing  his 
explorations,  of  a  curious  sensation  which  came  over  him 
repeatedly  on  that  terrible  three-days'  march  through  the 
storm.  He  says  that  he  often  felt  as  though  an  invisible 
companion  was  beside  them,  that  they  were  not  three 
men  struggling  through  the  snow,  but  four.  When  they 
reached  camp  and  were  seated  around  their  comfortable 
fireside,  one  of  Shackleton's  companions  said  to  him  :  "  I 
had  a  strange  feeling  all  the  time  we  were  out  in  the 
storm.  It  seemed  to  me  that  there  was  some  one  besides 
ourselves  there  all  the  time."  The  other  companion  at 
once  spoke  up  and  said  that  he  had  experienced  the  same 
feeling.  It  may  be  that  the  God  who  is  everywhere  and 
always  present  helps  us  to  feel  that  he  is  near  in  our  hours 
of  great  distress  and  sore  need. 


Lead   on,   O   King  Eternal, 

The  day  of  march  has  come; 
Henceforth  in  fields  of  conquest, 

Thy  tents  shall  be  our  home: 
Through  days  of  preparation, 

Thy  grace  has  made  us  strong. 
And  now,  O  King  Eternal, 

We  lift  our  battle  song. 


"Lead  on,  O  King  Eternal! 

We  follow,  not  with  fears; 
For  gladness  breaks  the  morning 

Where'er  thy  face  appears; 
Thy  cross  is  lifted  o'er  us; 

We  journey  in  its  light: 
The  crown  awaits  the  conquest; 

Lead  on,  O  God  of  might." 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS      81 

SUNDAY  SESSION 

GOD  HELPING  A  MAN  TO  DO  A  GREAT  LIFE  TASK 
Num.,  ch.  14;  Deut.,  ch.  34 

A  man  who  labors  at  a  worthy  task  never  labors  alone. 
God  is  always  his  Helper  and  in  most  cases  he  finds 
many  helpers  among  his  fellow  men.  Moses  felt  that  he 
was  not  fit  to  go  to  Pharaoh  and  ask  that  the  Hebrews 
be  set  at  liberty  because  he  was  not  an  eloquent  speaker. 
God  gave  him  his  brother  Aaron  to  be  his  helper.  Moses 
soon  found  other  helpers  like  Joshua  who  gave  him 
valuable  assistance.  The  greatest  tasks  of  the  world  are 
usually  accomplished  in  just  this  way.  They  are  not  one- 
man  affairs.  Some  leader  takes  charge  and  others  rally 
to  his  cause,  and  over  all  God  keeps  watch  and  never 
suffers  the  righteous  cause  to  fail. 

In  the  Name  of  Jehovah.  Moses  was  wiser  now  than 
he  had  been  at  the  time  of  his  first  attempt  to  liberate 
his  people.  Consequently  he  was  stronger,  for  wisdom 
is  strength.  He  began  his  movement  for  the  liberation 
of  the  Plebrews  not  by  a  display  of  force,  but  by  boldly 
appearing  before  Pharaoh  and  asking,  in  the  name  of 
Jehovah,  that  the  Hebrew  people  be  permitted  to  leave 
Eg}^pt.  If  a  cause  is  really  God's  cause  and  the  leaders 
of  the  cause  go  forth  in  the  name  of  God  and  under  his 
guidance,  there  is  no  such  thing  as  failure  for  the  cause 
thus  undertaken. 

A  Controversy  with  God.  The  Pharaoh  to  whom 
Moses  addressed  his  request,  in  the  name  of  Je- 
hovah, was  the  ruler  of  what  was  then  the  greatest 
nation  of  the  earth.  He  was  a  despotic  ruler  whose 
word  was  law  throughout  all  his  vast  realm.  He  was 
a  conqueror  of  other  nations,  a  builder  of  temples  and 
palaces.  He  may  have  heard  of  the  God  whom  his  He- 
brew slaves  worshiped,  but  he  had  no  fear  of  him.  His 
answer  to  Moses  and  Aaron  is  full  of  pride  and  contempt. 
"  Who  is  Jehovah,  that  1  should  hearken  unto  his  voice 


82      INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

to  let  Israel  go?  I  know  not  Jehovah,  and  moreover 
I  will  not  let  Israel  go."  Here  was  a  man  who  deliber- 
ately said,  ''  I  will  not,"  to  God.  Let  us  consider  God's 
dealing  with  him.  We  find  that  God  dealt  patiently  with 
him  as  though  he  were  unwilling  that  any  should  perish. 
He  enabled  Moses  to  do  certain  things  which  ought  to 
have  convinced  Pharaoh  that  the  command  came  from 
One  who  had  power  to  enforce  it.  Pharaoh  tried  to  show 
that  his  own  magicians  could  do  just  as  wonderful  things 
as  could  the  God  of  Moses  and  Aaron.  Little  by  little 
God  dealt  more  sternly  with  Pharaoh.  The  Egyptian 
king  yielded  again  and  again  only  to  break  his  word  as 
often.  Finally  when  pursuing  the  fleeing  Israelites  his 
hosts  came  to  a  sad  end  in  the  Red  Sea.  God  had  given 
Pharaoh  every  opportunity  to  repent,  but  he  had  refused 
either  to  repent  or  obey  and  thus  showed  that  he  deserved 
his  fate. 

Inexhaustible  Devotion.  As  we  read  the  story  of 
how  Moses  led  the  Israelites  out  of  Egypt  and  through 
the  deserts  to  Canaan,  we  see  that  he  had  come  to 
have  an  inexhaustible  devotion  to  the  great  task  which 
God  had  given  him  to  do.  Tasks  that  are  of  much 
importance  usually  require  that  kind  of  devotion.  If 
Moses  had  not  possessed  a  faith  in  God  and  a  love  for 
the  work  God  had  given  him,  he  would  have  given  up 
the  undertaking  long  before  the  Hebrews  came  in  sight 
of  Canaan.  The  people  did  not  appreciate  him.  They 
found  all  sorts  of  fault  with  him.  They  said  that  he 
had  led  them  out  into  the  wilderness  in  order  that  they 
and  their  children  might  die  of  starvation.  They  kept 
talking  about  the  good  old  days  in  Egypt  when  they  had 
plenty  of  onions,  melons,  and  cucumbers  to  eat.  More 
than  once  they  were  ready  to  stone  the  man  who  had 
given  up  so  much  for  their  sakes  and  who  was  really  do- 
ing his  best  to  gain  liberty  and  happiness  for  all  of  them. 
The  great  heart  of  Moses  could  not  hold  ill  will  against 
his  countrymen,  even  when  they  treated  him  so  unjustly. 
He  loved  them  and  was  ready  to  die  for  them,  if  need  be. 
Heroes  are  made  of  that  kind  of  stufif.  Men  who  accom- 
plish great  life  tasks  have  the  kind  of  devotion  which 
Moses  had. 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS      83 

The  Finished  Task  and  the  End  of  the  Day.  Moses 
saw  his  task  through.  The  Israelites,  after  forty  years 
of  wanderings  in  the  deserts,  camped  at  last  on  the 
highlands  just  east  of  the  Jordan  Valley.  The  task 
which  God  had  assigned  to  Moses  was  done.  The  bring- 
ing of  the  Hebrews  across  the  river  into  the  Promised 
Land  was  the  task  of  another  than  Moses.  Moses  was 
now  an  old  man.  He  had  reached  the  end  of  his  life  trail. 
He  was  not  to  go  across  into  Canaan  though  he  was  to 
be  given  a  sublime  vision  of  the  future  home  of  the 
people  he  had  loved  and  for  whom  he  had  labored.  He 
went  alone  out  upon  Mount  Pisgah,  one  of  the  bold 
headlands  which  jut  from  the  eastern  highlands  out  into 
the  great  trough  of  the  Jordan  Valley.  There  he  looked 
upon  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land  promised  to  his 
forefathers  and  there  his  earthly  life  ended.  His  life 
task  had  been  one  of  the  most  difficult  and  most  impor- 
tant ever  given  to  a  man,  but  he  had  accomplished  it 
through  the  grace  and  power  of  God. 

Contenders  with  God 

It  was  Christmas  Eve  and  near  midnight.  Happy 
groups  of  children  had  gathered  with  their  relatives  and 
friends  in  the  churches  of  a  mid-western  city.  They  had 
sung  songs  of  the  Christ-child  and  had  shouted  in  glee  at 
the  beautiful  Christmas  trees  and  the  presents  which  they 
had  received.  But  now  these  children  were  at  home  and 
in  bed  as,  indeed,  were  most  of  the  grown  people  of  the 
town. 

Now,  near  the  center  of  this  particular  city  there  was 
a  strange-looking  structure  with  high  walls  of  gray  stone. 
On  the  tops  of  these  walls  could  be  seen  even  at  this  hour 
of  the  night  men  walking  with  guns  in  their  hands.  It 
was  a  penitentiary,  a  great  prison  where  criminals  from 
all  parts  of  the  state  were  confined  behind  iron  gates  and 
bars  of  steel.  Within  those  grim  walls  were  men  who 
had  defied  the  laws  of  man ;  contenders  with  God  who 
like  Pharaoh  had  answered  God's  commandments  with  a 
stubborn,  "  I  will  not." 

At  the  hour  of  midnight,  the  chimes  in  the  church 
steeples  began  to  play  a  Christmas  hymn. 


84      INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

"Silent  night!  Holy  night! 
All  is  dark,  save  the  light 
Yonder,  where  they  sweet  vigils  keep, 
O'er  the  Babe  who  in  silent  sleep. 
Rests  in  heavenly  peace, 
Rests  in  heavenly  peace." 

Fathers  and  mothers  in  many  a  home  heard  the  sweet 
note  of  the  bells  and  lifted  a  prayer  of  thanksgiving  to 
God  for  his  unspeakable  Gift.  Little  children  heard  the 
music  in  their  dreams  and  smiled  as  they  slept.  But 
down  in  that  grim  stone  inclosure  the  response  to  the 
Christmas  hymn  was  of  another  kind.  A  frightful  din 
arose.  Hoarse  voices  from  behind  prison  bars  shouted 
defiance  to  the  world.  Grimy  hands  shook  the  grated 
doors  and  window  guards  until  their  rattling  rose  in  a 
harsh  uproar  which  drowned  out  the  music  of  the  chimes. 

The  din  within  the  prison,  however,  died  away  as  sud- 
denly as  it  began,  and  then  the  church  bells  were  heard 
again  pealing  out  over  the  city  the  final  stanza  of  the 
hymn. 

"Silent  night!  Holiest  night! 
Wondrous  Star,  lend  thy  light! 
With  the  angels  let  us  sing 
Alleluia  to  our  King! 
Christ  the  Saviour  is  born, 
Christ  the  Saviour  is  born!  " 

The  inmates  of  the  prison  had  become  silent.  Let  us 
hope  that  they  all  finally  ceased  to  be  contenders  with 
God  and  found  peace  and  purity  in  that  redeeming  grace 
of  which  the  Christmas  angels  sang. 

The  Lesson  Prayer 

Our  Father  in  heaven,  we  would  honor  thee  and  love 
thee  every  day  of  our  lives.  We  would  have  thy  presence 
with  us  wherever  we  go  and  would  l)e  guided  by  thee  in 
all  that  we  do.  Help  us  to  be  faithful  in  our  study  of  the 
Bible  for  we  know  that  it  is  thy  Book.  Help  us  to  be 
kind  and  helpful  to  everyone  for  we  know  that  all  are 
thy  children.  Give  us  perseverance  and  patience  so  that 
we  may  do  the  tasks  that  thou  hast  given  unto  us.    Help 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS      85 

us  to  find  the  life  work  which  thou  hast  for  us  and  may 
we  accomplish  thy  plans  with  the  help  which  thou  dost 
give  to  those  that  ask  thee.    Amen. 

The:  Li:sson  Hymn 

"The  Lord's  my  Shepherd,  I'll  not  want; 
He  makes  me  down  to  lie 
In  pastures  green,  he  leadeth  me 
The  quiet  waters  by. 

**  My  soul  he  doth  restore  again; 
And  me  to  walk  doth  make 
Within  the  paths  of  righteousness, 
E'en  for  his  own  name's  sake. 

"  Yea,  though  I  walk  in  death's  dark  vale, 
Yet  will  I  fear  none  ill; 
For  thou  art  with  me,  and  thy  rod 
And  staff  me  comfort  still. 

"  My  table  thou  hast  furnished 
In  presence  of  my  foes; 
My  head  thou  dost  with  oil  anoint, 
And  my  cup  overflows. 

"  Goodness  and  mercy  all  my  life 
Shall  surely  follow  me; 
And  in  God's  house  for  evermore 
My  dwelling  place  shall  be." 


EXPRESSIONAL  SESSION 

AN  UNSELFISH  CHOICE  OF  A  LIFE  TASK 
Suggestions  for  the  Leader's  Opening  Address 

We  have  seen  in  our  lesson  studies  that  Moses  made  a 
choice  of  a  life  task  which  cost  him  a  great  many  things 
which  most  people  consider  very  valuable.  He  made  an 
unselfish  choice.  And  yet  I  wonder  whether  the  choice 
he  made  was  not,  after  all,  the  best  for  himself,  too.  If 
he  had  chosen  to  be  an  Egyptian  prince  all  his  life,  we, 
in  all  probability,  never  should  have  heard  of  him.  As 
a  selfish  prince  he  never  could  have  become  the  great- 
souled  man  that  he  was.     I  think  the  importance  of  mak- 


86      INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

ing  an  unselfish  choice  of  a  life  work  is  shown  in  the  life 
of  George  Washington.  When  he  was  a  young  lad  he 
made  up  his  mind  that  he  was  going  to  join  the  navy. 
When  his  mother  saw  him  all  dressed  up  in  his  navy  uni- 
form, she  told  him  she  would  never  consent  to  his  be- 
coming a  naval  officer.  Young  Washington  told  her  that 
this  was  one  instance  where  he  must  choose  for  himself 
and,  much  as  he  regretted  to  do  so,  he  must  choose  this 
calling  even  though  she  refused  her  consent.  But  when 
his  mother  burst  into  tears,  the  tender-hearted  youth 
could  not  resist  his  mother's  wishes  and  sadly  took  back 
his  fine  uniform  and  asked  to  be  excused  from  his  place  in 
the  navy.  If  Washington  had  remained  on  shipboard,  he 
would  not  have  become  a  surveyor ;  he  would  never  have 
gone  to  Fort  Duquesne  with  Braddock;  he  would  never 
have  commanded  the  Continental  Army.  By  giving  up 
a  selfish  life  choice,  he  found  the  highest  way  of  use- 
fulness. 

Study  Topics 

1.  What  Influence  Should  Special  Abilities  Have  in 
Determining  One's  Choice  of  a  Life  Work? 

2.  Is  a  Liking  for  a  Certain  Occupation  Always  an 
Indication  That  One  Should  Choose  That  Occupation  for 
a  Life  Work? 

3.  What  Weight  Should  the  Advice  of  Friends  and 
Relatives  Have  in  Determining  One's  Choice  of  a  Life 
Work? 

4.  How  Can  we  Know  What  God  Would  Have  Us  Do 
With  Our  Lives? 

5.  Why  is  it  Important  for  One  to  Find  the  Right 
Life  Work? 

Verses  for  Use  in  the  Meeting 
Isa.  10:17;  Mark  10:28-30;  Matt.  10:38,  39;  Isa.  30:21; 
Prov.  3  :5,  6. 

Things  to  Be  Done  by  Individual  Members  oe  the 

Ceass  or  by  Committees 
Report  on  the  qualifications  needed  in  the  following 
occupations   and   the   opportunities   offered  by   each:   For- 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS      87 

eign    Missions,    Home    Missions,    Religious    Education, 
Nursing,  Teaching,  Business,  the  Ministry,  Authorship. 


The:  Class  Code: 

The  Law  of  the  Life  Task.  The  choice  of  an  occupa- 
tion is  one  of  the  most  important  decisions  one  ever 
makes.    Therefore : 

1.  We  will  consider  the  matter  of  a  life  occupation 
seriously  and  carefully  and  will  seek  to  know  God's  will 
for  us. 

2.  We  will  strive  to  choose  cheerfully  and  enthusias- 
tically that  occupation  which  seems  to  be  God's  task 
for  us. 

3.  We  will  endeavor  to  be  patient  and  faithful  and 
diligent  in  our  chosen  occupations  so  that  we  may  do  well 
that  which  we  have  been  given  to  do. 


SECTION  III 
THE  GUIDE  AND  JUDGE  OF  NATIONS 


Chapte:r  VIII.  God  Cre;ate:s  a  Nation  to  Be  a  Bi^kssing 

TO  THE  WORED. 

Chapter      IX.  The  Land  God  Gave  to  Israel. 

Chapter        X.  The  Laws  God  Gave  to  Israel. 

Chapter      XI.  The  Hebrew  Nation  Misses  the  Mark. 

Chapter    XII.  God  Punishing  a  Nation's  Sins. 

Chapter  XIII.  The  Hebrew  Nation's  Second  Chance. 


"  Blessed  is  the  nation  whose  God  is  Jehovah." 

— Ps.  33:12. 

"  Righteousness  exalteth  a  nation ; 
But  sin  is  a  reproach  to  any  people." 

— Prov.  14  :34. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

GOD  CREATES  A  NATION  TO  BE  A  BLESSING 
TO  THE  WORLD 

WEEK  DAY  SESSION 

THE  BEGINNINGS  OF  THE  HEBREW  NATION 
Ex.,  chs.  18,  20 

God  had  promised  Abraham  that  his  descendants 
should  one  day  be  Hke  the  dust  of  the  earth  in  number. 
He  had  also  promised  that  through  these  descendants  all 
the  nations  of  the  earth  should  be  blessed.  In  the  early 
books  of  the  Bible  we  have  the  story  of  hoAV  this  nation 
which  was  composed  of  Abraham's  descendants  came  into 
existence.  God  creates  nations  quite  as  truly  as  he  creates 
worlds  and  suns.  Some  parts  of  his  great  plan  for  the 
uplift  of  humanity  cannot  be  done  by  individual  men  and 
women,  they  must  be  done  by  groups  of  individuals  work- 
ing together  as  communities,  cities,  states,  and  nations. 
As  we  study  the  history  of  the  world,  we  see  that  nearly 
every  nation  that  has  ever  existed  has  been  used  in  some 
way  by  God  to  help  his  plans  for  blessing  the  world. 
Some  nations  have  hindered  his  plans,  too.  The  Hebrew 
nation  was  the  first  to  understand  that  it  was  an  instru- 
ment in  the  hands  of  the  Almighty.  In  our  day,  all 
nations  which  have  at  all  the  Christian  view  of  things 
are  gradually  coming  to  think  of  themselves  as  under  the 
guidance  of  God  for  some  great  purpose  of  his. 

A  Nation  with  a  Sublime  Mission.  It  is  a  wonder- 
ful help  to  a  man  when  he  comes  to  feel  that  he  is  do- 
ing God's  work  in  the  world.  It  gives  him  persever- 
ance and  diligence  to  know  that  his  task  is  one  which 
the  Creator  has  given  him  to  do.  A  great  life  work 
lifts  the  one  who  pursues  it  into  greatness  of  char- 
acter. The  same  thing  is  true  of  nations.  If  a  nation  be- 
lieves it  is  doing  God's  work  in  the  world  it  becomes  a 

91 


92      INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

nation  great  in  character.  The  Hebrew  nation,  however, 
was  not  always  conscious  of  its  great  mission,  the  bring- 
ing of  a  knowledge  of  the  true  God  to  all  the  nations  of 
the  world.  There  were  times  when  many  of  the  Hebrews 
saw  this  task  rather  clearly  and  these  were  times  when 
the  nation  grew  strong  and  pure.  But  there  were  other 
times  when  the  God-given  mission  of  the  nation  was  for- 
gotten. These  were  times  when  the  nation  grew  selfish, 
when  it  grew  weak  through  injustice  and  violence  within 
its  own  borders,  when  it  failed  to  maintain  its  place  as  a 
nation  among  the  nations. 

Getting  the  Israelites  Out  of  Egypt  and  Egypt  Out  of 
the  Israelites.  The  Israelites  had  learned  many  evil  prac- 
tices while  they  were  slaves  in  Egypt.  They  were  always 
falling  into  idolatry  for  many  years  after  they  had  left  the 
land  of  their  servitude.  Slavery  is  apt  to  have  a  bad  efifect 
both  on  those  who  are  masters  and  on  those  who  are 
slaves.  The  masters  become  proud,  cruel,  and  pleasure- 
loving.  The  slaves  become  deceitful,  cowardly,  and  lack- 
ing in  ambition.  It  took  a  long  time  to  change  the  slaves 
of  Egypt  into  the  heroic  warriors  who  conquered  Canaan. 
Indeed,  it  was  only  when  most  of  the  slaves  of  Egypt  had 
passed  away  and  a  new  race  of  freemen  had  come  on  that 
the  Hebrews  could  enter  Canaan  with  any  hope  of  vic- 
tory. It  has  been  said  that  "  it  took  only  one  night  to 
get  the  Israelites  out  of  Egypt,  while  it  took  forty  years 
to  get  Egypt  out  of  the  Israelites."  God  cannot  make  a 
nation  a  blessing  unless  the  people  of  the  nation  are 
brave,  pure,  and  strong. 

Giving  a  System  of  Government  to  the  Nation.  As  we 
read  the  story  of  Israel's  wanderings  in  the  deserts  we 
see  how  God  was  gradually  giving  them  a  system  of  gov- 
ernment. Laws  were  being  enacted.  Courts  were  being 
established.  No  nation  can  be  etrong  and  useful  without 
a  government  that  secures  justice  and  opportunity  for 
all.  God  was  trying  to  build  up  that  kind  of  government 
for  his  chosen  people.  In  another  chapter  we  will  study 
more  thoroughly  the  laws  which  God  gave  to  the 
Hebrews. 

Giving  a  Church  to  the  Nation.  No  nation  can  be  a 
blessing  to  the  world  if  it  does  not  recognize  God  and 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS      93 

honor  him.  If  it  honors  God  it  will  have  churches  where 
God  is  worshiped  and  where  the  people  are  taught  about 
God.  The  Jewish  Church  began  as  soon  as  the  Jewish 
nation  began.  God  led  his  people  to  build  a  place  of 
worship,  a  wonderful  tabernacle,  where  the  people  gath- 
ered to  thank  God  and  to  offer  sacrifices  to  him.  He  set 
apart  ministers  of  religion,  Aaron  and  his  sons  and  all 
the  Levites.  He  gave  to  the  church  certain  great  truths 
which  it  was  to  teach  to  all  the  people.  He  set  apart  one 
day  in  seven  that  the  people  might  have  time  for  rest  and 
worship.  He  told  the  people  how  to  worship  him  with 
offerings  and  sacrifices.  Thus  God's  Church  was  estab- 
lished to  be  at  the  very  center  of  the  national  life  of  the 
people  God  had  chosen  to  bless  the  world. 

What  God  Has  Done  for  the  World  Through  His 
Church.  Some  very  foolish  or  dishonest  people  talk  as  if 
the  Church  were  a  useless  institution,  asking  people  to 
give  money  for  its  support  and  giving  nothing  in  return. 
That  such  people  are  insincere  is  indicated  by  the  fact 
that  they  choose  to  live  in  a  land  where  there  are 
churches.  It  is  true  that  the  Church  has  sometimes  been 
selfish  and  forgotten  its  mission  of  helpfulness,  but  on 
the  whole,  it  has  been  a  great  blessing  to  the  world.  Let 
us  consider  a  few  of  the  blessings  which  God  has  given 
to  the  world  through  his  Church. 

The  Church  Has  Given  Education  to  the  World. 
The  Church  established  the  first  schools.  Where  there 
are  no  churches,  there  are  no  schools  open  to  all  the 
people  and  few  schools  of  any  kind.  Many  of  our  greatest 
universities  were  started  by  the  Church. 

The  Church  Has  Given  Hosptials  to  the  World. 
There  were  no  hospitals  in  •  India,  or  China,  or  Africa 
until  the  Church  began  to  send  missionaries  to  these 
countries.  Many  hospitals  are  now  owned  and  operated 
by  cities  and  by  the  government  of  counties,  states,  and 
nations,  but  it  is  well  to  remember  that  it  was  the  Chris- 
tian Church  that  began  this  work  of  mercy  and  helpful- 
ness and  that  all  our  modern  organizations  for  the  care 
of  the  sick  are  due  primarily  to  the  Church. 

The  Church  Has  Given  Orphanages  to  the  World. 
What  is  true  of  hospitals  is  true  in  an  equal  degree  of 


94      INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

organizations  for  the  care  of  poor  and  fatherless  children. 
There  are  no  orphanages  in  lands  where  the  influence  of 
the  Church  has  not  been  felt,  and  every  agency  in  Chris- 
tian lands  which  has  for  its  aim  the  care  of  helpless  chil- 
dren exists  because  of  the  influence  of  the  Christian 
Church  in  past  centuries  and  at  the  present  time. 

The  Church  Has  Helped  to  Lift  Woman  to  a  Place 
Where  She  Is  the  Equal  and  the  Helper  of  Man.  In 
lands  where  the  Christian  Church  is  not  found,  women 
are  little  better  than  slaves.  They  are  not  given  any 
education  and  have  hardly  any  place  of  honor  in  the 
community.  The  Christian  Church  changes  all  this  and 
gives  to  woman  an  honored  place  in  the  home,  the  com- 
munity, and  the  nation. 

Little  Slave:  Girls  of  China 

If  we  wish  to  know  what  the  lives  of  our  women  and 
children  would  be  without  the  Christian  religion  and  the 
Christian  Church  we  need  only  consider  what  the  lives 
of  women  and  children  are  like  in  a  country  where  there 
is  no  Christian  religion  and  Christian  Church.  China  is 
being  slowly  changed  by  its  contact  with  Christian  na- 
tions, but  it  is  still  an  illustration  of  what  life  is  without 
the  religion  of  Jesus  and  without  his  Church.  When  a 
little  baby  comes  into  a  Chinese  home  it.  is  a  time  of  re- 
joicing, if  the  baby  is  a  boy ;  but  if  the  baby  is  a  girl,  it  is 
apt  to  be  a  time  of  mourning.  Sometimes  the  little  baby 
girls  are  destroyed,  if  there  seem  to  be  too  many  girls 
already  in  the  family.  Sometimes  the  parents  take  them 
down  into  some  dark  alley  of  the  city  and  pass  them 
through  a  "  hole  in  the  wall  "  into  the  hands  of  evil  men 
who  make  a  business  of  raising  these  little  baby  girls  and 
selling  them  as  slaves. 

Sometimes  these  little  slaves  are  sent  across  the  ocean 
to  America  and  bought  by  Chinese  men  in  San  Francisco, 
or  Seattle.  In  San  Francisco  lives  a  brave  woman  who 
has  given  her  life  to  finding  and  saving  these  little 
Chinese  slaves.  She  has  a  home  where  she  takes  them 
and  educates  them.  Nearly  all  become  Christians  and 
many  go  back  to  China  as  missionaries  to  their  people. 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS      95 

Once  this  brave  woman  heard  that  a  little  Chinese 
slave  girl  was  being  held  by  a  group  of  Chinamen  in  the 
city  of  Sacramento.  She  went  to  the  courts  in  that  city 
and  obtained  permission  to  take  the  child  to  her  Chinese 
Children's  Home  in  San  Francisco.  But  she  had  first  to 
get  possession  of  the  child.  She  knew  that  if  once  the 
Chinamen  knew  that  she  was  trying  to  get  possession  of 
the  little  slave,  they  would  send  her  away  to  some  hiding 
place  and  she  could  never  hope  to  find  her  again.  So 
this  woman  determined  to  follow  a  bold  plan.  She 
learned  where  the  house  was  in  which  the  little  slave  was 
kept.  Then  she  hired  an  automobile  and  drove  to  the 
house.  Leaving  the  driver  with  the  car  she  went  to 
the  dwelling,  opened  the  door  and  went  in.  Half  a  dozen 
Chinamen  were  seated  about  a  table  in  the  center  of  the 
room.  They  were  playing  cards  and  smoking  cigarettes. 
They  were  so  surprised  at  seeing  a  white  woman  enter 
that  they  just  sat  still  and  stared.  Over  in  one  corner 
seated  on  a  pile  of  old  matting  was  the  little  slave.  The 
brave  woman  rushed  over,  seized  the  child  in  her  arms, 
and  darted  out  of  the  room.  The  Chinamen  followed 
shouting  and  waving  their  arms  in  wild  excitement. 
Leaping  into  the  automobile  the  woman  told  the  driver 
to  make  all  haste.  Some  of  the  Chinamen  were  at  the 
automobile  before  it  got  under  way.  They  caught  hold 
of  it,  but  as  it  gained  speed  they  had  to  let  go.  Then 
shots  began  to  ring  out,  and  bullets  ripped  through  the 
top  of  the  automobile.  Some  of  the  Chinamen  had  run 
back  to  the  house  for  their  guns  and  revolvers  and  were 
firing  on  the  retreating  automobile.  In  a  little  while, 
however,  the  car  was  out  of  range  and  the  little  Chinese 
slave  was  saved  from  a  life  of  suffering  and  shame. 

"  The    Church's    one    Foundation 

Is  Jesus  Christ  her  Lord; 
She  is  his  new  creation 

By  water  and  the  word; 
From  heaven  he  came  and  sought  her 

To  be  his  holy  bride; 
With  his  own  blood  he  bought  her, 

And  for  her  life  he  died." 


96      INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

SUNDAY  SESSION 

IF  A  NATION  IS  TO  BE  A  HELPER  OF  GOD.  WHAT 
KIND  OF  NATION  MUST  IT  BE? 

Deut.,  chs.  5,  6 

In  a  recent  lesson,  we  considered  the  question  as  to 
what  kind  of  person  one  must  be  if  he  would  be  a 
helper  and  a  friend  of  God.  We  have  seen  that  God  not 
only  chooses  people  but  nations  to  be  his  helpers.  If  a 
nation  is  to  be  a  helper  of  God,  what  kind  of  nation  must 
it  be?  This  is  the  question  we  wish  to  consider  in  this 
lesson. 

A  Religious  Nation.  No  man  can  be  a  helper  of  God 
if  he  does  not  believe  that  there  is  a  God  and  act  as  if  he 
believed  it.  He  must  know  and  honor  God  and  obey  him 
or  he  will  not  be  of  any  great  service  to  the  Almighty. 
In  short,  a  man  who  would  be  God's  helper  must  be 
deeply  and  truly  religious.  The  same  is  true  of  a  nation. 
The  nation  must  recognize  God  in  its  laws,  in  its  methods 
of  government,  in  its  attitude  toward  the  other  nations 
of  the  world.  "  Blessed  is  the  nation  whose  God  is 
Jehovah." 

A  Just  Nation.  If  a  nation  is  to  be  God's  helper  it 
must  be  built  on  a  foundation  of  justice  for  all.  It  must 
have  a  tender  conscience.  It  must  have  a  fine  sense  of 
right  and  wrong.  The  poorest  and  weakest  of  its  citizens 
must  feel  that  their  nation  is  their  protector  and  friend. 
The  weakest  of  neighboring  nations  must  feel  that  they 
are  safe  in  being  neighbors  to  this  nation  which  is  strong 
and  also  just.  We  ought  to  be  glad  that  our  own  great 
nation  is  dedicated  to  the  proposition  that  "  all  men  are 
created  free  and  equal."  We  ought  to  strive  to  keep  it 
"  one  nation  indivisible,  with  liberty  and  justice  for  all." 

An  Unselfish  Nation.  A  selfish  person  cannot  be  God's 
helper  in  any  large  way,  neither  can  a  selfish  nation.  God 
planned  to  make  the  Hebrew  nation  a  missionary  nation. 
He  wished  through  the  Hebrew  nation  to  bless  all  the 
other  nations  of  the  world.  We  shall  see  in  the  lessons 
which  follow,  how  the  prophets  and  some  other  heroic 
people  tried  to  hold  the  Jewish  nation  up  to  this  high 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS      97 

ideal  of  service.  We  shall  also  see  how  some  short- 
sighted and  selfish  Jews  tried  to  defeat  God's  plans  by 
making  the  Jewish  nation  live  for  itself  alone. 

A  Pure  Nation.  God  will  not  have  helpers  who  are  im- 
pure in  their  thoughts,  words,  and  deeds.  They  couldn't 
help  him  anyway.  If  we  walk  in  the  light  as  God  is  in 
the  light  we  have  fellowship  with  him  and  become  his 
helpers.  The  worshipers  of  idols  did  all  sorts  of  wicked 
things.  Their  gods  were  only  wood  and  stone,  but  from 
the  first  Jehovah  would  have  no  helpers  who  walked  in 
uncleanness  and  drunkenness.  "  Wash  you,  make  you 
clean ;  put  away  the  evil  of  your  doings  from  before  mine 
eyes ;  cease  to  do  evil ;  learn  to  do  well." 

Thk  Promised  Land 

Some  years  ago  there  lived  in  a  little  Russian  village 
on  the  Volga  River  a  Jewish  family  consisting  of  the 
father,  mother,  and  several  small  children.  The  father 
was  an  industrious  man,  a  tailor.  He  was  able  to  feed 
and  clothe  his  family  and  have  a  very  well-furnished 
home,  but  he  was  not  altogether  happy.  He  knew  that 
he  and  his  family  were  never  safe.  He  knew  that  the 
more  money  he  made  and  the  better  home  he  had  the 
greater  was  the  danger.  For  the  people  of  that  part  of 
Russia  hated  the  Jews.  They  made  them  live  in  one 
small  suburb  of  the  village  where  they  were  crowded  to- 
gether. They  would  not  allow  them  to  enjoy  many  of 
the  rights  and  privileges  that  other  people  enjoyed. 

The  Jews  could  never  forget  how  at  certain  times  they 
had  been  driven  from  their  homes,  their  property  carried 
away,  and  many  of  their  people  killed.  They  could  not 
tell  when  they  should  suffer  again  in  the  same  way.  The 
father  of  this  Jewish  household  sometimes  gathered  his 
children  about  him  and  told  them  of  a  country  far  across 
the  seas  where  all  men  were  free,  equal,  and  safe.  He 
told  them  that  the  people  of  that  land  never  came  in 
great  mobs  to  kill  the  Jews  and  burn  their  houses.  He 
said  that  he  was  working  hard  and  saving  money  to  go 
to  that  land  some  day. 

The  children  talked  a  great  deal  among  themselves 
about  that  distant  country  where  they  could   live  free 


98      INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

from  fear  and  do  as  other  children  did.  They  came  to 
call  it  the  "  Promised  Land."  One  day  the  father 
brought  home  a  little  package  and  gave  it  to  his  children. 
When  they  unwrapped  it  they  found  a  little  flag  inside. 
It  had  a  blue  square  in  the  corner  with  white  stars  in  it 
and  the  rest  of  the  flag  was  composed  of  red  and  white 
stripes.  The  father  told  his  children  that  this  was  the 
flag  of  the  country  to  which  he  hoped  to  take  them,  that 
it  stood  for  liberty  and  justice  for  all.  The  children 
came  to  love  it.  They  called  it  "  the  flag  of  the  Prom- 
ised Land." 

At  last  the  father  had  money  enough  saved  to  make 
the  journey.  After  a  journey  of  several  days  they  reached 
the  seaport  where  they  were  to  set  sail.  The  little  family 
did  not  have  a  fine  cabin  and  the  children  could  not  run 
around  on  the  decks.  They  were  too  poor  to  travel  that 
way.  They  were  "  steerage  passengers  "  and  had  to  stay 
away  down  in  the  great  vessel.  There  was  one  little 
round  porthole,  however,  where  the  children  could  look 
out  and  see  the  great  rolling  ocean  stretching  away  to 
the  horizon. 

At  last  they  came  in  sight  of  land  and  sailed  up  the 
channel  leading  to  the  harbor  of  New  York.  They  came 
in  sight  of  a  tall  structure  of  some  kind  standing  out 
through  the  mist.  It  looked  like  the  form  of  a  gigantic 
woman  standing  on  the  top  of  a  high  tower.  The  children 
wondered  what  it  was  and  their  father  told  them  that  it 
was  the  '*  Statue  of  Liberty  Enlightening  the  World  " 
and  that  it  meant  that  all  who  came  to  live  in  America 
were  to  be  forever,  *'  free  and  equal."  Just  then  the  chil- 
dren caught  sight  of  bright  colors  flying  from  a  tall  flag- 
pole near  the  statue.  They  clapped  their  hands  and 
shouted,  "  '  The  flag  of  the  Promised  Land,'  *  The  flag  of 
the  Promised  Land.'  "  Don't  you  think  we  ought  to  be 
proud  to  live  in  such  a  country,  and  don't  you  think  we 
ought  to  do  all  we  can  to  keep  it  a  land  of  freedom  and 
opportunity  for  all  the  peoples  of  the  earth? 

The  Li^sson  Prayer 

O  God,  we  thank  thee  for  our  country  and  for  all  the 
privileges  which  we  enjoy.    We  thank  thee  for  the  many 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS      99 

opportunities  which  thou  hast  given  to  us.  We  pray  that 
we  may  not  be  selfish  in  the  use  of  thy  gifts.  Help  us  to 
be  kind  and  friendly  to  people  who  come  to  our  country 
from  other  lands.  May  we  be  willing  to  share  with  them 
the  blessings  and  the  privileges  of  our  own  great  land. 
May  we  love  these  people  who  come  from  other  countries 
and  look  on  them  as  our  brothers  and  sisters  in  thy  great 
family.    Amen. 

The:  Le:sson  Hymn 

"  O  God,  beneath  thy  guiding  hand 
Our  exiled  fathers  crossed  the  sea; 
And  when  they  trod  the  wintry  strand, 
With  prayer  and  psalm  they  worshiped  thee. 

"Thou  heardest,  well  pleased,  the  song,  the  prayer: 
Thy  blessing  came;  and  still  its  power 
Shall  onward,  through  all  ages,  bear 
The  memory  of  that  holy  hour. 

"  Laws,  freedom,  truth,  and  faith  in  God 
Came  with  those  exiles  o'er  the  waves; 
And,  where  their  pilgrim  feet  have  trod, 
The  God  they  trusted  guards  their  graves. 

"And  here  thy  name,  O  God  of  love. 
Their  children's  children  shall  adore. 
Till  these  eternal  hills  remove, 
And  spring  adorns  the  earth  no  more." 


EXPRESSIONAL  SESSION 

A  RIGHTEOUS  NATION 
SUGGE^STIONS  FOR  THE)  LE^ADEJr's  OpENING  AdDRE:SS 

Whether  or  not  a  nation  is  righteous  depends  upon  the 
people  who  make  up  the  nation.  If  the  people  of  a  nation 
live  according  to  the  teachings  of  Jesus  they  will  naturally 
bring  it  to  pass  that  their  nation  will  act  according  to  the 
same  principles.  If  our  nation  has  sometimes  acted  in 
a  way  contrary  to  Christian  standards  it  is  because  the 
people  of  the  nation  who  are  Christians  were  either  not 


100    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

numerous  enough  or  not  bold  enough  to  make  their  in- 
fluence felt.  In  some  cases  it  may  have  been  due  to  lack 
of  a  right  understanding  of  what  the  Christian  teaching 
regarding  the  life  of  a  nation  is.  I  think  our  country  has 
usually  acted  in  a  Christian  way  toward  other  nations. 
Even  our  wars  against  other  nations  have  in  most  cases 
been  wars  for  humanity  rather  than  wars  for  our  own 
safety  and  advantage. 

If  we  are  to  keep  our  nation  righteous  we  must  be 
faithful  and  diligent.  We  must  seek  to  make  the  Church 
strong.  We  must  take  an  interest  in  politics  and  see  that 
the  right  kind  of  men  are  elected  to  office.  We  must  see 
that  just  laws  are  enacted  and  enforced.  We  must  guard 
against  any  part  of  our  people  acting  selfishly  and  un- 
justly. We  must  be  willing  to  help  support  the  schools 
and  libraries  which  give  the  people  an  education  and  fit 
them  for  citizenship.  We  must  make  the  other  nations 
of  the  earth  feel  that  our  nation  is  just  and  helpful.  If 
there  is  hunger  and  distress  in  any  part  of  the  world 
while  we  have  abundance,  we  must  not  keep  everything 
for  ourselves,  but  share  our  blessings  with  those  in  need. 

Study  Topics 

1.  What  the  Christian  Church  Has  Done  for  America. 

2.  Why  We  Should  Give  to  Organizations  for  the  Re- 
lief of  Sufferers  from  Famine,  Plague,  or  Disaster? 

3.  Qualities  of  Character  Which  Make  a  Nation  Great. 

4.  What  Can  Our  Nation  Do  for  the  Nations  of  South 
America? 

5.  What  Can  Our  Nation  Do  for  Mexico? 

Ve;rsh:s  for  Use  in  thiv  Mi^icting 

Ex.  22:21;  Matt.  25:35;  Heb.  13:2;  Ps.  33:12;  Prov. 
14:34;  Isa.  26:2;  Zech.  2:11. 

Committee  to  Be  Appointed 

Social  Service  Committee.  Let  this  committee  report 
on  the  question,  "  People  in  Our  Community  Whom  We 
Can  Help." 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS     101 

Things  to  Bk  Done:  by  Individuai,  Me:mbe:rs  of  the; 
Class  or  by  Committkks 

1.  Find  out  about  the  return  of  the  Boxer  Indemnity 
to  China. 

2.  Find  out  what  our  country  has  done  for  Cuba,  San 
Domingo,  the  Central  American  RepubUcs. 

3.  Find  out  what  Americanization  work  is. 

4.  Find  out  about  Social  Settlements,  and  Community 
Service. 

5.  Find  out  what  countries  of  Europe  are  sending  im- 
migrants to  the  United  States  in  largest  numbers. 

6.  What  can  our  country  do  for  Negroes,  Chinese, 
Japanese,  Indians? 

7.  Find  out  what  our  denomination  is  doing  for  the 
peoples  named. 

The  Ci.ass  Code: 

The  Law  of  Patriotism.  Love  of  country  is  one  of  the 
noblest  traits  of  character.    Therefore: 

1.  We  will  honor  our  country  by  obeying  its  laws  and 
respecting  its  flag. 

2.  We  will  love  our  country  and  will  try  to  be  worthy 
children  of  those  who  gave  to  us  this  land  of  the  free. 

3.  We  will  try  to  make  and  keep  our  country  a  land 
of  liberty  and  opportunity  for  all  who  may  come  to  our 
shores. 

Salute  to  the  Flag.  "  I  pledge  allegiance  to  my  flag 
and  to  the  Republic  for  which  it  stands :  one  nation,  indi- 
visible, with  liberty  and  justice  to  all." 


CHAPTER  IX 

THE  LAND  GOD  GAVE  TO  ISRAEL 

WEEK  DAY  SESSION 

A  VIEW  FROM  THE  SUMMIT  OF  MOUNT  EBAL 
Deut  11:8-12;  Psalm  104 

Palestine  is  a  comparatively  small  country.  It  is  less 
than  two  hundred  miles  long  and  only  about  seventy 
miles  wide  in  its  broadest  portion.  Yet  within  this  lim- 
ited area  is  gathered  a  wonderful  variety  of  soil,  vegeta- 
tion, animal  life,  and  surface  features.  On  its  mountain 
tops  where  snow  lies  throughout  the  year,  are  found 
plants  and  animals  belonging  to  the  far-away  Arctic 
regions.  In  the  deep  trough  of  the  Jordan,  palms  and 
other  forms  of  tropical  vegetation  flourish  and  birds  and 
animals  belonging  to  Africa  and  India  are  found.  Some 
parts  of  this  little  country  are  very  fertile,  while  other 
parts  are  desert  wastes.  This  is  the  land  through  which 
Abraham  herded  his  flocks  and  which  God  promised  to 
him  and  his  descendants  forever,  the  land  of  the  prophets, 
the  land  of  our  Saviour's  birth,  of  his  labors,  and  of  his 
death.  It  has  long  been  called  the  Holy  Land  because  of 
its  connection  with  the  great  events  of  the  Bible  and  the 
men  and  women  of  whom  the  Bible  tells  us.  Perhaps  we 
can  get  a  good  idea  of  what  it  is  like  by  describing  what 
may  be  seen  from  the  summit  of  Mount  Ebal,  one  of  the 
high  mountains  of  north  central  Palestine. 

The  Distant  Sea.  If  you  should  climb  to  the  top  of 
Mount  Ebal  and  look  westward  you  would  see  rolling 
green  hills  (if  the  season  were  spring  or  early  summer) 
sloping  down  to  a  long  strip  of  yellow  sandy  beach,  with 
a  narrow  line  of  white  breakers,  and,  beyond,  the  blue 
waters  of  the  Mediterranean.  The  borders  of  the  Jewish 
nation  hardly  reached  the  sea  at  any  time  in  the  history 
of  the  nation,  but  the  highland  homes  of  the  people  were 

102 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS     103 

always  in  sight  of  it.  Perhaps  this  is  why  the  sea  made 
a  peculiarly  deep  impression  on  the  minds  of  the  Jewish 
race.  It  spoke  to  them  of  mystery  and  vastness.  They 
knew  that  it  stretched  away  to  the  ends  of  the  earth.  Its 
passing  ships  told  them  of  the  traffic  of  a  world  with 
which  they  had  little  to  do.  Its  storm-lashed  waves  and 
the  distant  murmur  of  its  surf  seemed  to  speak  to  them 
of  the  power  and  majesty  of  God. 

"  Yonder  is  the  sea,  great  and  wide, 
Wherein  are  things  creeping  innumerable, 
Both  small  and  great  beasts. 
There  go  the  ships; 

There  is  leviathan,  whom  thou  hast  formed  to  play  therein. 
These  wait  all  for  thee. 
That  thou  mayest  give  them  their  food  in  due  season." 

— Ps.  104:25-27. 

The  Plain  of  Sharon.  Near  the  sea  stands  the  bold 
headland  of  Mount  Carmel.  South  of  this  promontory  a 
strip  of  comparatively  level  land  borders  the  sea.  It 
grows  constantly  wider  to  the  southward.  This  is  the 
Plain  of  Sharon.  It  is  a  fertile  region  noted  for  its 
abundant  wild  flowers.  When  the  Hebrews  looked  down 
on  this  flowery  land  beside  the  blue  sea  they  could  hardly 
help  thinking  of  it  as  an  expression  of  God's  blessing 
upon  the  earth.  Their  prophets  illustrated  God's  will- 
ingness and  his  power  to  bless  his  people  by  saying  that 
the  awful  wilderness  of  Judea  should  become  under  God's 
blessing  like  the  Plain  of  Sharon. 

"The  wilderness  and  the  dry  land  shall  be  glad;  and  the  desert 
shall  rejoice,  and  blossom  as  the  rose.  It  shall  blossom  abun- 
dantly, and  rejoice  even  with  joy  and  singing;  the  glory  of 
Lebanon  shall  be  given  unto  it,  the  excellency  of  Carmel  and 
Sharon:  they  shall  see  the  glory  of  Jehovah,  the  excellency  of 
our  God." — Isa.  35:1,  2. 

The  Highlands  of  Judea.  Away  to  the  southward  from 
Mount  Ebal  stretch  the  barren  limestone  ridges  of  Judea. 
The  whole  region  is  in  striking  contrast  to  the  flowery 
plain  below.  This  land  of  sterile  sheep  pastures  and 
small  rocky  fields  has  produced  some  of  the  noblest  people 
of  history.    The  mountains  of  the  world  have  been  cradles 


104    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

of  liberty  and  bulwarks  of  freedom.  Standing  on  Mount 
'''  Ebal  one  can  see  almost  to  Jerusalem.  A  little  farther 
south  is  Bethlehem,  the  birthplace  of  Jesus,  and  still  be- 
yond but  on  the  range  of  highlands  is  Hebron,  where 
Abraham  made  his  home  and  where  the  dust  of  his  body 
lies  in  the  cave  of  Machpelah. 

The  Deserts  of  the  South.  Beyond  Hebron  the  high- 
land region  begins  to  let  itself  down  to  the  desert  tracts 
which  stretch  away  toward  Egypt.  Beer-sheba,  the  home 
of  Isaac,  is  located  here.  These  deserts  come  right  up  to 
the  shore  of  the  sea,  so  that  the  caravan  routes  which 
have  been  traversing  the  pleasant  vales  of  western  Pales- 
tine here  reach  a  stretch  of  hot  and  sandy  wastes  almost 
destitute  of  water,  the  barrier  of  barrenness  which  has 
always  lain  between  Palestine  and  Egypt. 

The  Jordan  Valley  and  the  Dead  Sea.  Standing  on 
Mount  Ebal  and  facing  southward  you  would  have  on 
your  left  one  of  the  most  remarkable  depressions  on  the 
land  surface  of  the  earth.  The  name  "  Jordan  "  means  the 
"  descender."  It  is  so  named  because  of  its  rapid  descent 
from  the  high  slopes  of  Mount  Hermon  into  the  de- 
pression of  the  Dead  Sea.  At  the  Lake  of  the  Huleh,  the 
ancient  Waters  of  Merom,  the  Jordan  has  practically 
reached  sea  level.  At  the  Sea  of  Galilee,  it  is  several 
hundred  feet  below  the  sea.  When  at  last  it  pours  its 
muddy  tide  into  the  Dead  Sea,  it  is  nearly  thirteen  hun- 
dred feet  below  the  surface  of  the  Mediterranean. 

The  Jordan  River  is  deeply  woven  into  the  literature 
of  both  the  Old  and  the  New  Testament.  Across  this 
river  the  invading  Hebrews  followed  Joshua  in  their  cam- 
paign of  conquest.  So  vividly  did  it  impress  itself  upon 
the  minds  of  the  Hebrews  as  the  boundary  line  between 
their  old  mode  of  life  in  the  deserts  and  their  new  mode 
of  life  in  the  land  of  Canaan  that  it  has  remained  to  this 
day  a  symbol  of  the  dividing  line  between  this  life  and 
that  which  is  to  come.  It  was  in  the  Jordan  that  Jesus 
was  baptized ;  near  it  he  preached  and  did  many  of  his 
miracles. 

The  lake  into  which  the  Jordan  empties  is  altogether 
remarkable.  It  is  well  called  the  Dead  Sea  for  its  waters 
are  so  full  of   salt  and   other  chemicals  that  organic   life 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS     105 


MAP  OF  PALESTINE 


106    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

scarcely  exists  in  them.  Even  its  shores  are  ahnost 
wholly  devoid  of  vegetation  save  for  the  hardy  saltwort 
which  thrives  in  the  briny  spray  cast  up  by  the  waves. 
Glimpses  of  the  Dead  Sea  may  be  had  from  many  parts 
of  the  highlands  of  Palestine.  From  the  Mount  of  Olives, 
its  waters  are  seen  dark,  misty,  and  solemn,  against  the 
purple  background  of  the  hills  of  Moab.  This  desolate 
sea  without  fish  or  fisherman  made  a  deep  impression  on 
the  minds  of  the  Hebrews.  It  was  to  them  a  symbol  of 
physical  and  spiritual  death.  One  of  the  most  striking 
passages  in  the  Old  Testament  is  that  in  which  the 
prophet  Ezekiel  tells  of  his  vision  in  which  he  saw  a 
stream  of  water  breaking  forth  from  beneath  the  altar  in 
the  Temple  at  Jerusalem  and  widening  into  a  mighty  and 
life-giving  river  as  it  flowed  onward  through  the  wilder- 
ness of  Judea  toward  the  Dead  Sea. 

"  And  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  every  living  creature  which 
swarmeth,  in  every  place  whither  the  rivers  come,  shall  live; 
and  there  shall  be  a  very  great  multitude  of  fish;  for  these 
waters  are  come  thither,  and  the  waters  of  the  sea  shall  be 
healed,  and  everything  shall  live  whithersoever  the  river 
Cometh." — Ezek.  47:9. 

The  vision  of  the  prophet  was  a  true  picture  of  the 
religious  truth  which  has  gone  out  from  Jerusalem  to 
give  spiritual  life  to  every  place  where  it  has  gone. 

The  Wilderness  of  Judea.  To  the  west  of  the  Dead 
Sea  and  coming  up  almost  to  Bethlehem  is  a  region  of 
desolation  which  is  called  in  the  Bible  the  wilderness  of 
Judea,  or  simply  "  the  wilderness."  Most  of  the  region 
is  bare  rock  with  only  the  scantiest  of  vegetation  appear- 
ing here  and  there  for  a  few  weeks  in  spring.  The  surface 
is  gashed  with  great  chasms  which  run  down  to  the  Dead 
Sea  with  constantly  deepening  trenches.  It  was  in  this 
barren  region  that  John  the  Baptist  made  his  home  before 
he  began  to  preach.  It  was  of  this  place,  so  typical  of 
desolation,  that  the  prophet  spoke  when  he  said,  "  The 
wilderness  and  the  dry  land  shall  be  glad ;  and  the  desert 
shall  rejoice,  and  blossom  as  the  rose."    Isa.  35  :1. 

The  Highlands  East  of  Jordan.     East  of  the  Jordan 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS     107 

Valley,  the  country  rises  into  a  vast  wall  of  hills  which 
form  the  western  edge  of  the  high  plateau  of  ancient 
Moab,  Gilead,  and  Bashan.  These  highlands  are  fertile 
and  forests  of  oak  are  found  there.  In  this  land  some  of 
the  tribes  of  Israel  selected  their  homes.  Out  of  these 
highlands  came  some  of  the  great  prophets  like  Elijah 
who  rebuked  the  wickedness  of  kings  and  the  sins  of  the 
nation. 

The  Eastern  Deserts.  On  the  east,  as  on  the  south, 
Palestine  fades  off  into  the  desert.  The  eastern  high- 
lands sink  down  into  sandy  wastes  which  stretch  away 
for  vast  distances,  the  home,  in  Bible  times  as  to-day,  of 
the  hyena^  the  wild  ostrich,  and  equally  wild  tribes  of 
men. 

The  Plain  of  Esdraelon.  Almost  at  the  foot  of  Mount 
Carmel  lies  the  fertile  Plain  of  Esdraelon,  the  wheat  field 
of  Palestine.  Esdraelon  is  also  one  of  the  world's  greatest 
battle  fields.  Here  Israelites  and  Canaanites,  Franks  and 
Saracens,  have  contended  with  one  another. 

Mount  Hermon  and  the  Lebanons.  Looking  north 
from  the  summit  of  Mount  Ebal  you  would  see  the  snowy 
summit  of  Mount  Hermon  on  the  horizon.  This  moun- 
tain has  an  important  influence  over  the  climate  of  Pales- 
tine. Its  cold  summit  pierces  the  high  moisture-laden  air 
currents  from  the  sea  and  condenses  their  vapors  into 
rain,  snow,  and  dew.  The  dews  of  Palestine  are  often 
exceedingly  heavy  on  account  of  the  nearness  of  this 
mountain.  They  are  a  great  blessing  in  the  hot,  dry 
harvest  times.  One  of  the  psalms  speaks  of  the  blessing 
which  comes  from  brotherliness  as  being 

"  Like  the  dew  of  Hermon, 
That  cometh  down  upon  the  mountains  of  Zion." — Ps.  133:3. 

On  the  slopes  of  the  Lebanon  Mountains  are  still  found 
a  few  of  the  cedars  of  Lebanon.  They  are  the  last  sur- 
vivors of  a  wonderful  forest  which  in  Bible  times  cov- 
ered the  mountains  of  northern  Palestine.  These  won- 
derful trees  made  a  deep  impression  on  the  minds  of  the 
Hebrews.  They  had  known  only  the  desert  shrubs  be- 
fore, and  these  great  cedars  seemed  to  them  a  wonderful 


108     INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

creation  of  God.     They  called  them  "  the  glory  of  Leb- 
anon "  and  "  the  trees  of  Jehovah." 

This  is  the  wonderful  and  interesting  land  which  God 
had  chosen  as  the  home  of  the  nation  through  which  he 
was  to  bless  the  world.  It  lay  apart  from  the  other  na- 
tions. Its  mountains  were  a  wall  of  defense  where  the 
little  nation  might  have  kept  itself  free  from  foreign 
domination  if  it  had  not  become  divided  and  morally  cor- 
rupt. And  yet  it  was  not  a  land  which  would  keep  the 
little  nation  isolated  from  the  world.  No  hermit  nation 
could  live  in  that  land.  The  world's  great  highways  ran 
along  its  borders  and  through  its  valleys.  It  was  an  ad- 
mirable home  for  a  nation  which  was  to  give  to  the  world 
the  blessing  of  spiritual  truth. 


SUNDAY  SESSION 

HOW  THE  HOLY  LAND  HELPED  THE  HEBREWS 
TO  KNOW  GOD 

Psalms  8;  19:1-6;  147:7-20 

God  kept  his  promise  to  Abraham,  for  through  the 
Hebrews  who  were  Abraham's  descendants,  he  gave  to 
all  the  people  of  the  world  some  great  truths  about  him- 
self. Part  of  this  message  from  God  came  through 
prophets  and  other  good  men  who  were  close  enough  to 
God  in  fellowship  to  hear  his  voice,  and  courageous 
enough  to  make  the  message  known.  Part  of  it  came 
through  men  whose  spiritual  eyesight  was  keen  enough 
to  read  God's  messages  in  the  things  he  had  created  in 
the  world,  whose  ears  were  attuned  to  hear  the  voice 
that  speaks  from  out  the  silent  stars  at  night.  It  is 
probable  that  the  great  men  of  the  Old  Testament  learned 
to  know  God  in  both  of  the  ways  named.  The  influence 
of  nature  is  plainly  seen  in  many  of  the  psalms  and  in  the 
words  of  most  of  the  prophets.  The  wonderful  land  which 
God  had  given  to  the  Hebrews  helped  some  of  them  to 
know  God.  No  other  land  of  equal  size  is  so  well  fitted  to 
reveal  the  Creator.  Its  wonderful  variety  of  surface  fea- 
tures, vegetable  life,  and  animal  forms,  helped  the  He- 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS     109 

brews  to  know  the  wisdom  of  the  God  who  has  fitted  each 
of  his  creatures  for  its  own  habitation.  He  made  the  high 
cliffs  for  the  wild  goats  and  the  rocks  for  the  conies. 
Travelers  in  western  Palestine  speak  of  a  peculiar  sensa- 
tion of  exaltation.  They  feel  lifted  up  from  the  general 
surface  of  the  earth.  They  look  down  on  the  sea  and  the 
lakes  of  the  Jordan  Valley.  They  look  down  on  the  tops 
of  mountains.  The  prophet  Joel  speaks  of  "  dawn  spread 
upon  the  mountains."  The  marked  uncertainties  of  the 
climate  helped  the  Hebrews  to  feel  a  dependence  upon  the 
God  of  nature  who  sent  the  early  and  the  latter  rain,  who 
caused  droughts  to  come  to  punish  the  unfaithfulness  of 
the  nation,  and  whose  hand  was  seen  in  the  storm  when 
the  fierce  siroccos  "  threw  dust  across  the  sun."  When 
we  read  the  words  of  the  prophet  Amos,  it  is  not  hard  for 
us  to  believe  that  the  following  story,  which  shows  how 
God  speaks  through  nature,  is  probably  a  true  picture  of 
his  boyhood  and  youth. 

Amos,  Shepherd  oe  Tkkoa  and  Fe:arlp:ss  Prophet  oe 
Jehovah 

Some  miles  south  of  the  village  of  Bethlehem  one 
comes  to  a  heap  of  ruins  and  scattered  stones  covering 
several  acres.  No  one  lives  there  now,  and  this  is  all  that 
is  left  of  the  village  of  Tekoa.  In  this  village,  many 
years  ago,  a  humble  shepherd  lived  with  his  family.  The 
village  stood  on  the  edge  of  the  desolate  wilderness  of 
Judea,  and  not  much  could  be  raised  there  because  of  the 
rocky  soil  and  the  lack  of  water.  The  shepherd  had  a 
little  garden  where  some  water  flowed  out  from  a  spring 
in  the  hillside.  In  it  were  cucumber  vines  and  a  few 
other  vegetables  and  several  large  trees  of  the  sycomore 
fig.  This  shepherd  had  a  little  son  named  Amos,  who, 
since  the  family  was  large,  had  to  work  hard  almost  from 
his  babyhood.  He  climbed  the  tall  fig  trees  and  gathered 
the  fruit  for  his  father;  he  watched  the  sheep  out  on  the 
desolate  and  stony  hills.  Although  his  parents  were  poor, 
they  were  worshipers  of  the  true  God,  whom  many  of  the 
richer  people  of  that  time  were  beginning  to  forget. 
They  taught  their  little  boy  that  God  is  the  Creator  of 


110    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

the  world,  and  he  came  to  think  of  all  the  things  which 
he  saw  as  God's  workmanship. 

When  the  winter  rains  poured  their  torrents  down  upon 
the  roof  of  their  humble  dwelling,  little  Amos  would 
snuggle  close  to  his  mother's  side  and  say,  "  Mother, 
where  does  all  the  rain  come  from  ?  "  Then  his  mother 
would  tell  him  of  the  great  Jehovah  God,  who  "  calleth 
for  the  waters  of  the  sea,  and  poureth  them  out  upon  the 
face  of  the  earth." 

There  were  many  wild  animals  in  the  country  where 
Amos  lived,  lions,  leopards,  and  the  Syrian  bear.  Lions 
would  often  come  up  from  the  thick  brush  of  the  Jordan 
Valley  and  break  into  the  sheepfolds.  Amos  would  hear 
their  roars  resounding  through  the  darkness.  Then  his 
father  and  the  other  men  would  seize  their  weapons  and 
rush  out  to  defend  the  flocks.  Sometimes  they  would 
bring  back  fragments  of  some  sheep  the  lions  had  torn  to 
pieces,  "  two  legs,  or  a  piece  of  an  ear,"  enough  to  prove 
to  the  owners  of  the  sheep  that  a  lion  had  devoured  it. 

One  day  Amos  heard  his  father  and  the  neighbors  talk- 
ing about  some  calamity  which  was  impending.  The  little 
boy  did  not  know  what  the  danger  was,  but  he  noticed 
that  his  parents  kept  looking  up  at  the  sky.  After  a  time 
his  keen  young  eyes  detected  something  which  looked 
like  a  thin  cloud  coming  across  the  face  of  the  sun.  He 
called  his  father's  attention  to  it  and  his  father  looked 
grave.  After  watching  that  moving  cloud  for  a  time,  his 
father  said,  "Yes,  they're  coming;  the  locusts  are  com- 
ing." In  a  little  while  large  insects  began  to  come  down 
here  and  there  like  the  first  big  flakes  of  a  snowstorm. 
They  came  thicker  and  faster  until  the  air  was  full  of 
them.  They  ate  up  the  cucumber  vines ;  they  ate  all  the 
figs  on  the  trees ;  they  ate  all  the  leaves  on  the  trees  and 
gnawed  the  bark:  they  devoured  all  the  grass  and  the 
sheep  were  left  without  food. 

That  night  little  Amos  said  to  his  father,  *'  Why  does 
Jehovah  God  let  the  locusts  come  and  eat  up  all  our 
garden,  our  fruit  trees,  and  all  the  grass  for  our  sheep?  " 
His  father  answered :  "  My  son,  Israel  has  sinned.  They 
have  rejected  the  law  of  Jehovah  and  have  not  kept  his 
statutes ;  therefore  are  these  calamities  come  upon  us." 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS     111 

When  Amos  grew  older  he  often  watched  the  sheep 
alone  in  the  fields  at  night.  He  saw  the  sun  go  down  in 
red  fire  behind  the  Judean  hills  and  watched  all  the  night 
until  it  appeared  again  above  the  far-away  blue  mountain 
wall  of  Moab.  He  still  thought  of  God  as  the  One  con- 
trolling all  he  saw  and  heard,  who  "  turneth  the  shadow 
of  death  into  the  morning,  and  maketh  the  day  dark  with 
night."  He  learned  to  know  the  stars,  the  Pleiades  with 
many  dim  stars  close  together,  and  the  great  constella- 
tion of  Orion  with  many  bright  stars  scattered  over  a 
considerable  portion  of  the  sky.  In  these  things  he  was 
learning  to  know  God  and  how  to  communicate  with 
him  in  the  deep  meditation  of  solitude  and  prayer. 

By  the  time  Amos  became  a  man,  conditions  had 
reached  a  fearful  state  in  the  country  about  his  home; 
especially  was  there  great  wickedness  in  the  cities. 
People  of  different  parts  of  the  country  were  waging 
cruel  warfare  against  one  another,  destroying  even 
women' and  children  and  selling  them  into  slavery.  The 
rich  people  of  the  cities  were  making  slaves  of  the  poor. 
Some  were  starving  while  others  lolled  in  luxury.  Many 
were  so  anxious  to  get  rich  that  they  did  not  like  to  take 
time  to  keep  the  Sabbath  Day.  They  said  to  one  another, 
"  When  will  the  new  moon  be  gone,  that  we  may  sell 
grain?  and  the  sabbath,  that  we  may  set  forth  wheat?" 
They  cheated  one  another  with  short  measures  and  light 
weights  and  it  was  one  great  scramble  to  see  which 
could  get  the  advantage  over  the  other.  Now  Amos  had 
grown  up  honoring  God  and  seeing  him  in  all  the  works 
of  nature.  He  thought  much  on  the  evils  of  his  day  and 
longed  to  see  justice  established  among  men  and  right- 
eousness toward  God. 

God  was  seeking  for  a  man  whom  he  could  send  as  a 
messenger  to  the  wicked  cities  to  warn  them  that  destruc- 
tion was  coming  if  they  did  not  repent  and  mend  their 
ways.  Such  a  messenger  must  be  able  to  hear  God's 
voice.  He  must  be  able  to  look  on  the  life  of  that  day  as 
God  looked  on  it.  He  must  not  be  afraid  of  any  man. 
There  was  no  such  man  in  any  of  the  cities.  Perhaps 
there  was  only  one  in  all  the  land,  and  that  was  the  shep- 
herd boy,  Amos.    He  heard  God  speaking  to  him,  bidding 


112     INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

him  leave  his  sheep,  and  go  into  the  great  cities  and 
preach  to  the  sinful  people.  Amos,  the  shepherd  boy 
who  learned  about  God  in  the  fields  and  under  the  sky  at 
night,  had  become  a  prophet  of  Jehovah. 


Kei^ping  God's  Messages  Unspoiled 

If  God  has  a  message  to  mankind  in  the  mountains, 
forests,  birds,  wild  animals,  and  flowers,  ought  we  not  to 
treasure  these  things  in  their  natural  abundance  and 
beauty  so  far  as  we  can?  Within  the  past  few  years 
movements  for  saving  the  natural  beauties  of  our  country 
and  for  saving  its  wild  life  have  sprung  up  in  America. 
We  see  now — at  least  some  of  us  do — that  these  natural 
beauties  are  not  for  us  alone ;  they  belong  also  to  the 
generations  of  people  that  are  yet  to  be.  If  we  destroy 
them,  we  shall  rob  the  thousands  of  generations  that  are 
to  come.  If  w^e  exterminate  a  species  of  bird  or  flower,  it 
can  never  be  produced  again.  In  destroying  it  we  bid  it 
an  everlasting  farewell. 


The  Lesson  Prayer 

Our  heavenly  Father,  thou  hast  made  the  whole  world 
beautiful  and  good.  The  land  and  the  sea  are  full  of  evi- 
dences of  thee.  Help  us  to  know  thee  as  thou  hast  re- 
vealed thyself  in  the  things  which  thou  hast  made.  Grant 
that  we  may  not  selfishly  mar  and  destroy  thy  good 
works,  but  keep  them  unspoiled  for  the  delight  and  uplift 
of  thy  children  that  are  yet  to  be  upon  the  earth.  Keep 
us  from  all  selfishness  for  the  sake  of  Jesus  Christ,  thy 
Son.    Amen. 


The  Lesson  Hymn 

"  O  beautiful  for  spacious  skies, 

For  amber  waves  of  grain, 
For  purple  mountain  majesties 

Above  the  fruited  plain! 
America!  America!  God  shed  his  grace  on  thee 
And  crov/n  thy  good  v^-ith  brotherhood 
From  sea  to  shining  sea! 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS     lU 

"  O  beautiful  for  pilgrim  feet, 

Whose  stern,  impassioned  stress 
A  thoroughfare  for  freedom  beat 

Across  the  wilderness! 
America!  America!  God  mend  thine  every  flaw, 
Confirm  th-^'-  soul  in  self-control, 
Thy  liberty  in  law! 

"  O  beautiful  for  heroes  proved 

In  liberating  strife. 
Who  more  than  self  their  country  loved, 

And  mercy  more  than  life! 
America!  America!  May  God  thy  gold  refine, 
Till  all  success  be  nobleness. 
And  every  gain  divine! 

"  O  beautiful  for  patriot  dream 

That  sees  beyond  the  years 
Thine  alabaster  cities  gleam 

Undimmed  by  human  tears! 
America!  America!  God  shed  his  grace  on  thee 
And  crown  thy  good  with  brotherhood 
From  sea  to  shining  sea!" 


EXPRESSIONAL  SESSION 

CHRISTIAN  CONSERVATION 
Suggestions  for  the  Leader''s  Opening  Address 

The  World  War  taught  us  the  sin  of  waste.  It  showed 
us  how  much  food,  how  much  fuel,  how  much  time,  we 
were  wasting.  It  showed  the  need  for  a  nation-wide  pro- 
gram of  conservation.  Conservation  means  the  act  of 
conserving,  preserving,  saving-.  We  are  wasting  some 
things  in  our  country  which  are  of  more  value  than  food 
or  fuel.  We  waste  lives.  Thousands  of  babies  die  every 
summer  because  they  are  not  properly  cared  for.  Tens 
of  thousands  of  men  are  shut  up  in  jails  and  prisons  who 
might  be  doing  the  tasks  of  the  country  and  earning  an 
honest  living  for  themselves  and  their  families.  We  are 
spending  more  for  wars  past  and  prospective  than  we  are 
spending  for  everything  else  put  together.  When  we 
think  of  these  things,  we  see  that  conservation  is  just 


114    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

another  word  for  the  Christian  program  which  has  for  its 
aim  the  saving  of  all  that  is  good  in  life. 


Study  Topics 

1.  The  Story  of  the  Passenger  Pigeon.     ("  Our  Van- 
ishing Wild  Life,"  Hornaday.) 

2.  The  Story  of  the  Great  Aiik.      ("Our  Vanishing 
Wild  Life,"  Hornaday.) 

3.  American     Birds     in     Danger    of     Extermination. 
("  Our  Vanishing  Wild  Life,"  Hornaday.) 

4.  American  Wild  Animals  in  Danger  of  Extermina- 
tion.  ("  Our  Vanishing  Wild  Life,"  Hornaday.) 

5.  The  Need  for  Conserving  the  Forests  of  America. 

6.  The    Need    for   Conserving   the    Beauty    Spots   of 
America. 

7.  Efforts  to  Save  the  Lives  of  Babies  in  Our  Great 
Cities  During  the  Summer  Months. 

8.  Child-Saving  Organizations. 

9.  The  W^ork  of  Rescue  Missions  in  Our  Great  Cities. 

10.  The  Work  of  the  Salvation  Army. 

11.  What  Customs  and  Ideals  of  Our  Puritan  Fore- 
fathers Should  We  Trv  to  Conserve? 


Versus  for  Use  in  the  Meeting 
Ps.  72  :4 ;  Isa.  55  :2  ;  Luke  9  :56  ;  19  :10  ;  John  6  :12. 

Committees  to  Be  Appointed 

Conservation  Committee,  to  report  as  to  whether  there 
is  any  matter  concerning  the  conservation  of  our  na- 
tional resources,  either  spiritual  or  material,  in  which  our 
class  can  give  assistance. 

Things  to  Be  Done  by  Individual  Members  oe  the 
Ceass  or  by  Committees 

L  Make  a  list  of  the  national  parks  of  America  and 
tell  about  the  wonders  of  nature  in  each. 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS     115 

2.  Make  a  collection  of  photographs  of  beautiful 
scenes  in  our  country. 

3.  Report  on  the  greatest  poems  describing  natural 
beauties  in  our  country. 

4.  Find  out  what  is  being  done  for  the  conservation 
of  the  Sabbath  Day  in  our  country. 

The:  Class  Code: 

The  Law  of  Conservation.  Everything  we  possess  is 
given  to  us  by  God  and  most  of  these  gifts  are  ours  for 
only  a  little  while.  They  belong  also  to  the  people  who 
shall  live  on  the  earth  after  we  are  gone  and  whose  rights 
we  ought  to  respect.    Therefore  : 

1.  We  will  work  for  the  conservation  of  our  national 
resources,  for  the  saving  of  our  forests  and  the  preserva- 
tion of  the  beauty  spots  of  our  country. 

2.  We  will  work  for  the  preservation  of  our  wild  birds 
and  animals  from  destruction. 

3.  We  will  work  for  the  conservation  of  our  American 
ideals  as  to  equality  and  brotherhood  and  for  the  pre- 
servation of  such  American  customs  as  the  keeping  of 
the  Sabbath  Day. 


CHAPTER  X 

THE  LAWS  GOD  GAVE  TO  ISRAEL 

WEEK  DAY  SESSION 

LAWS  INTENDED  TO  ESTABLISH  EQUALITY,  JUSTICE, 
AND  BROTHERHOOD  AMONG  MEN 

Ex.,  chs.  21  to  23 ;  Deut.,  ch.  22 

The  laws  of  a  nation  are  a  very  important  part  of  its 
civilization.  If  the  laws  secure  liberty,  opportunity,  and 
justice  for  all,  they  help  the  nation  to  become  truly  great. 
If  the  laws  are  unjust,  securing-  special  privileges  for 
some  at  the  expense  of  the  others,  they  prevent  the  nation 
from  becoming  truly  great  and  strong.  God  wished  the 
Hebrew  nation  to  be  pure  and  strong,  so  he  gave  to  them 
laws  which  were  fitted  to  secure  equality,  justice,  and 
brotherhood. 

Laws  Concerning  Widows,  Orphans,  and  the  Poor. 
The  civilization  of  a  nation  may  be  determined  by  its 
attitude  toward  women  and  children,  especially  toward 
those  who  are  widows  and  orphans.  A  nation  which 
allows  these  helpless  ones  to  be  mistreated  cannot  be  a 
nation  well-pleasing  to  God.  The  commandment  of  God 
concerning  this  matter  was  very  plain :  "  Ye  shall  not 
afflict  any  widow,  or  fatherless  child.  If  thou  afflict  them 
at  all,  and  they  cry  at  all  unto  me,  I  will  surely  hear 
their  cry."— Ex.  22  :22,  23. 

God's  commandments  were  equally  plain  concerning 
the  poor.  If  a  wealthy  Hebrew  lent  money  to  a  poor 
countryman  he  must  not  charge  any  interest.  If  a  poor 
man  left  his  garments  as  security  for  a  debt,  they  could 
not  be  held  after  sunset.  God  mercifully  provided  that 
the  poor  man  who  had  no  other  covering  than  his  cloth- 
ing should  not  be  left  without  protection  during  the  cold 
of  the  night. 

Laws  Concerning  Foreigners.  Even  people  who  are 
respectable  in  every  other  way  are  sometimes  cruel  to 

116 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS     117 

foreign  people  who  happen  to  dwell  in  the  community 
with  themselves.  They  call  them  names  and  refuse  to 
have  anything  to  do  with  them  simply  because  they 
speak  a  different  language  and  have  different  customs 
from  those  with  which  they  themselves  are  familiar. 
Such  conduct  must  be  displeasing  to  God  who  is  the 
Father  of  all  the  people  of  the  earth  and  who  loves  them 
all  with  a  love  that  cannot  be  measured.  Here  is  God's 
law  covering  the  matter : 

*'  And  if  a  stranger  sojourn  with  thee  in  your  land,  ye  shall 
not  do  him  wrong.  The  stranger  that  sojourneth  with  you  shall 
be  unto  you  as  the  home-born  among  you,  and  thou  shalt  love 
him  as  thyself." — Lev.  19:33,  34. 

Laws  Concerning  Servants.  Slaves  were  not  thought 
of  as  having  any  rights  at  all,  but  God  would  have  no  such 
inhuman  customs  among  his  people.  He  gave  the  He- 
brews laws  which  practically  did  away  with  slavery.  No 
Hebrew  could  be  held  as  a  slave  for  more  than  six  years, 
unless  he  wished  to  stay  longer  with  his  master.  If  a 
master  was  cruel  and  struck  a  servant  and  injured  him 
in  such  a  way  as  by  knocking  out  a  tooth,  that  master 
had  to  let  the  servant  go  free. 

Laws  Concerning  Thieves,  Even  thieves  were  not 
thought  of  as  being  entirely  outside  the  protection  of  the 
Law.  They  were  punished  for  their  crimes,  but  the  pun- 
ishment must  not  be  inhuman.  If  a  thief  should  be 
caught  breaking  into  a  house  at  night,  the  owner  of  the 
property  had  a  right  to  defend  it,  and  if  he  killed  the 
thief  in  doing  so  he  was  not  held  to  be  blameworthy. 
But  if  the  owner  of  a  house  killed  a  thief  who  was  break- 
ing into  his  house  in  daylight,  he  was  held  to  have  done 
wrong  unless  he  was  compelled  to  take  the  thief's  life  in 
self-defense. 

Laws  Concerning  Aged  Persons.  One  who  habitually 
shows  respect  for  aged  people  and  concern  for  their  com- 
fort manifests  one  of  the  very  finest  traits  of  character. 
Because  God  wished  his  people  to  have  this  respect  for 
aged  persons,  he  gave  this  commandment  to  the  whole 
nation : 


118    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

"  Thou  shalt  rise  up  before  the  hoary  head,  and  honor  the  face 
of  the  old  man,  and  thou  shalt  fear  thy  God:  I  am  Jehovah." — 
Lev.  19:32. 

Laws  Concerning  Animals  and  Birds.  God  saw  fit  to 
give  his  people  laws  protecting  the  dumb  creatures.  He 
would  have  his  people  know  that  animals  and  birds  have 
rights  which  man  ought  to  respect.  The  ox  was  not  to 
be  muzzled  while  treading  out  grain  on  the  threshing 
floor.  He  must  be  allowed  to  feed  on  the  straw  and  grain 
as  a  right  to  which  his  labor  gave  him  a  clear  title.  The 
mother  bird  must  not  be  taken  when  on  her  nest,  or  with 
her  young. 

Laws  Concerning  the  Home.  It  is  impossible  for  a 
nation  to  be  great  and  strong  unless  it  has  within  it 
happy  and  well-governed  homes.  Therefore  God  gave 
the  Hebrew  people  commandments  concerning  their 
home  life.  He  commanded  children  to  honor  and  obey 
their  parents  and  some  of  the  severest  penalties  in  the 
Hebrew  Law  were  those  imposed  on  children  who  were 
disobedient  and  disrespectful  to  their  parents.  Moreover, 
parents  were  required  to  look  carefully  to  the  spiritual 
and  intellectual  training  of  their  children.  God's  com- 
mandments to  parents  aimed  to  establish  religious  nur- 
ture at  the  very  center  of  the  family  life.  "  And  these 
words,  which  I  command  thee  this  day,  shall  be  upon  thy 
heart ;  and  thou  shalt  teach  them  diligently  unto  thy  chil- 
dren, and  shalt  talk  of  them  when  thou  sittest  in  thy 
house,  and  when  thou  walkest  by  the  way,  and  when 
thou  liest  down,  and  when  thou  risest  up."    Deut.  6  :6,  7. 

Laws  Concerning  the  Holding  of  Land.  Many  nations 
have  failed  because  the  wealth  of  the  nation  became  the 
possession  of  a  very  few  people  while  the  multitudes  were 
reduced  to  poverty.  Especially  is  this  a  great  evil  when 
a  few  people  come  to  own  all  the  land.  God  sought  to 
guard  his  people  from  this  danger.  After  the  Israelites 
had  conquered  most  of  Canaan,  the  land  was  divided 
among  the  various  tribes.  Then  each  tribe  divided  its 
portion  between  the  different  families.  The  land  belong- 
ing to  a  certain  family  was  to  remain  the  possession  of 
that  family  forever.     The  head  of  the  familv  might  sell 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS     119 

it  but  for  only  a  limited  time.  Every  fifty  3^ears  there 
was  to  be  a  '*  year  of  jubilee  ''  when  all  the  land  went 
back  to  the  family  which  originally  owned  it.  If  this  law 
had  been  carried  out,  the  land  of  the  nation  never  could 
have  become  the  possession  of  a  few  people. 

The  establishment  of  right  industrial  relationships  is 
even  to-day  one  of  our  g-reatest  problems.  The  Bible  has 
much  to  teach  us  on  the  matter  and  it  is  only  as  we 
solve  these  problems  in  God's  way  of  justice  and  broth- 
erhood that  we  shall  really  solve  them  at  all. 

The  Goeden  Rui.e  in  Business 
In  the  city  of  Cincinnati  lives  a  man  who  has  for  sev- 
eral years  been  applying  the  Golden  Rule  to  all  matters 
of  business.  He  was  a  prosperous  business  man  before 
the  World  War  began,  but  he  had  not  thought  much 
about  doing  to  others  as  he  would  have  others  do  to  him 
in  business  matters.  He  tried  to  do  that  in  his  home  life 
and  with  his  friends,  but  when  it  came  to  buying  and  sell- 
ing goods  and  meeting  the  competition  of  others  engaged 
in  the  same  business  that  he  was,  well,  he  simply  did  not 
believe  that  the  Golden  Rule  would  work  in  such  matters. 
The  Great  War  came  on  and  his  two  young  sons  joined 
the  army.  Both  Avere  sent  overseas.  While  his  sons  were 
in  the  trenches  of  France,  this  business  man  did  some 
hard  thinking.  When  his  sons  at  last  came  home  again, 
both  were  suffering  from  shell  shock.  For  months  they 
had  to  keep  very  quiet  at  home  until  their  nerves  should 
get  over  the  awful  shock  of  battle.  The  business  man 
was  doing  some  more  thinking  all  this  time.  He  was 
asking  himself  why  it  was  that  such  things  as  wars  come ; 
why  it  was  necessary  for  a  father  to  send  his  sons  to 
battle.  At  last  he  decided  that  it  was  because  people  did 
not  live  according  to  the  teachings  of  Jesus ;  that  it  was 
because  they  did  not  apply  the  Golden  Rule  to  all  the 
relationships  of  life.  He  decided  that  he,  for  one,  would 
do  it:  that  he  would  apply  the  Golden  Rule  not  only  in 
his  home  and  in  his  social  relationships,  but  likewise  in 
his  business.  He  determined  to  treat  his  competitors  and 
his  employees  exactly  as  he  would  wish  them  to  treat 
him. 


120    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

At  about  this  time  an  Austrian  Jew  who  had  a  business 
in  Cincinnati  called  on  him.  He  said  that  he  had  a 
family  in  Austria  and  that  he  had  not  heard  from  them 
for  three  years.  He  had  lost  all  trace  of  them  during  the 
Great  War.  Now  that  the  war  was  ended  he  wished  to 
go  back  and  search  for  his  family.  But  he  had  a  business 
in  the  city  which  he  must  sell  if  he  were  to  make  the 
journey.  The  business  man  thought  the  matter  over  and 
decided  that  if  he  were  in  this  Austrian's  place,  he  would 
like  to  have  some  one  help  him  out  by  buying  his  busi- 
ness, so  he  paid  the  man  ten  thousand  dollars  for  his 
manufacturing  plant. 

When  the  business  man  came  to  investigate  he  found 
that  he  had  bought  a  "  sweat  shop."  A  "  sweat  shop  " 
is  a  manufacturing  concern  where  clothing  is  made  and 
where  the  laborers  are  paid  very  low  wages  and  made  to 
work  very  long  hours.  This  business  man  found  that 
one  poor  old  woman  in  his  shop  was  being  paid  only  four 
dollars  a  week  for  sewing  on  buttons.  The  highest  wages 
paid  was  that  of  the  cutters,  skilled  workmen,  who  re- 
ceived seventeen  dollars  a  week.  One  morning  the  new 
proprietor  went  into  his  shop  and  tried  to  call  his  em- 
ployees together,  but  they  would  not  come.  They  were 
suspicious  and  hung  back  in  the  corners.  So  the  business 
man  went  from  one  to  another  and  talked  with  them. 
He  came  to  the  old  woman  sewing  on  buttons  and  said, 
"How  much  are  you  paid  a  week?"  She  answered, 
"  Four  dollars/'  and  went  on  with  her  work.  "  Your 
wages  from  this  time  will  be  twelve  dollars  a  week,"  said 
the  proprietor  and  went  on.  He  came  to  a  young  girl 
and  found  that  she  was  receiving  seven  dollars  and  fifty 
cents  a  week.  He  told  her  that  her  wages  were  to  be 
fifteen  dollars  a  week.  Even  the  cutters  had  their  wages 
raised  to  twenty-seven  dollars  a  week.  Then  the  business 
man  went  home  and  told  his  wife  that  he  expected  his 
business  to  fail  within  a  month  and  that  he  was  going 
away  to  look  for  a  little  farm  where  they  could  make  a 
living  for  the  rest  of  their  days.  He  was  gone  six  weeks. 
When  he  came  back  he  found  that  his  business  was  won- 
derfully prosperous  and  that  large  profits  were  being 
made  in  spite  of  the  increased  wages. 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS     121 

This  is  what  happened,  after  the  owner  of  the  business 
went  out  that  morning  when  he  had  told  of  the  increased 
wages :  A  certain  Italian  named  Tony,  with  whom  the 
former  owner  had  experienced  some  trouble,  came  for- 
ward, called  all  the  workers  together,  and  said  something 
like  this :  "  Fellow  workmen,  we  have  all  heard  people 
talk  about  brotherhood  and  fair  dealing  without  doing 
anything  to  back  up  their  words,  but  I'll  be  hanged  if  I 
don't  believe  the  boss  means  it.  Now  if  he  is  going  to 
treat  us  as  he  has  said,  we  must  do  our  part.  We  must 
show  him  that  we  appreciate  his  fairness."  So  they  all 
fell  to  work  Avith  a  will.  They  had  been  changed  from 
"  skilled  shirkers  "  into  "  skilled  workers." 

In  a  little  while,  it  was  found  that  the  business  had 
gained  large  profits,  more  than  forty  thousand  dollars. 
"  Now,"  said  the  owner,  "  I  don't  see  how  I  can  keep  all 
this  money  for  myself  if  I  am  to  live  according  to  the 
Golden  Rule.  I  will  keep  only  a  fair  percentage  on  my 
investment  and  divide  the  remainder  among  the  workers 
of  the  shop."  When  the  workers  heard  what  was  to  be 
done  they  decided  that  the  right  way  would  be  to  divide 
the  money  equally  among  themselves,  so  each  received 
the  same  portion  of  the  profits.  The  old  woman  who 
sewed  on  buttons  received  as  much  as  the  higher-paid 
cutters. 

Then  the  owner  of  the  business  and  his  employees  de- 
cided that  they  were  making  larger  profits  than  was  just 
to  the  people  who  bought  the  goods  so  they  decided  to 
lower  the  price  of  the  suits  they  were  making.  Harder 
times  came  on  afterward  and  the  workers  decided  that 
their  wages  were  too  high  and  they  voted  to  reduce  them. 
Thus  it  was  found  that  the  .Golden  Rule  would  work 
in  business. 

SUNDAY  SESSION 

LAWS  INTENDED  TO  ESTABLISH  RIGHTEOUSNESS 
TOWARD  GOD 

Ex.,  ch.  20 ;  Lev.  27  :30-33 

No  one  can  love  his  fellow  men  and  help  them  as  he 
ought   unless   he  knows   and   honors   God   and   receives 


122   jntermi:diate  church  school  lessons 

God's  help.  This  is  why  we  find  tliat  the  Hebrews  we»-e 
g;iven  laws  intended  to  leatl  them  to  honor,  lo\e,  and 
obey  Jehovah. 

God's  Place  in  the  Life  of  the  Individual.  If  the  He- 
brew nation  was  to  l)e  a  blessing-  to  the  world,  it  must  be 
made  up  of  individuals  who  knew  and  loved  and  honored 
God.  Should  they  forget  Jehovah  and  become  w^orshipers 
of  the  idols  of  their  pagan  neighbors,  they  would  become 
pagans  themselves  and  the  nation  would  fail.  So  God 
gave  them  as  his  First  Commandment  this  solemn  ad- 
monition :  "  Thou  shalt  have  no  other  gods  before  me." 
They  were  not  to  make  images  of  things  in  the  heavens, 
on  the  earth,  or  in  the  sea,  and  worship  them  as  gods. 
They  were  to  honor  the  name  of  Jehovah  and  not  speak 
that  name  in  jesting  and  profanity.  Profane  swearing  is 
one  of  the  worst  and  most  foolish  of  sins.  It  casts  ridicule 
on  the  name  of  the  great  and  good  Creator  and  when 
anyone  is  willing  to  do  that,  it  is  difficult  to  see  what  is 
to  keep  him  from  other  awful  sins. 

God's  Day.  One  day  in  seven  was  to  be  set  apart  by 
the  Hebrew  people  as  belonging  to  God  in  a  peculiar  w^ay. 
On  that  day  they  were  to  refrain  from  all  labor  and  give 
themselves  to  meditation  on  the  spiritual  truths  which 
God  had  given  to  them  and  their  forefathers.  It  was  to 
be  a  day  of  prayer  and  praise.  None  of  the  pagan  nations 
had  such  a  day  and  the  keeping  of  the  Sabbath  was  to  be 
a  mark  which  distinguished  the  Israelites  from  the  i)eoples 
who  knew  not  God. 

God's  Portion.  The  earth  and  everything  in  it  be- 
longed to  God  because  he  is  the  Creator  of  all  things. 
He  has  made  man  to  be  a  steward  or  overseer  of  all  that 
he  has  made.  He  does  not  expect  that  his  stewards  will 
get  as  much  as  they  can  for  themselves  and  say,  "  It  is 
mine !  it  is  mine !  I  will  keep  it  all  for  myself."  He  ex- 
pects them  to  use  all  that  they  hold  in  such  a  way  as  to 
help  God  and  their  fellow  men.  He  also  wishes  them  to 
give  a  definite  part  to  God.  God  gave  his  people  very 
clear  rules  for  their  guidance  in  these  matters.  One  tenth 
of  all  the  increase  of  their  flocks  every  year  and  one 
tenth  of  all  the  product  of  their  fields  was  to  be  given  to 
God.     In  addition  there  were  other  gifts  which  God  re- 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS         123 

quired.  The  first  fruits  of  their  gardens  and  fields  and 
the  first  lambs  and  calves  of  their  flocks  were  to  be  given 
to  God. 

This  rule  extended  even  to  their  children.  The  first- 
born son  of  every  family  was  to  be  thought  of  as  belong- 
ing peculiarly  to  God.  If  he  did  not  become  a  priest  or 
prophet,  he  must  be  redeemed  by  the  parents.  It  must 
have  been  a  beautiful  service,  fitted  to  impress  upon 
parents  the  debt  which  they  owed  to  God,  when  parents 
brought  their  first-born  son  to  the  tabernacle  or  Temple 
and  there  offered  sacrifices  and  gifts  for  him. 

God's  House.  Even  while  the  Hebrews  were  wanderers 
in  the  wilderness  God  showed  them  how  to  make  a  place 
for  worship.  It  was  a  wonderful  tabernacle,  so  con- 
structed that  it  could  be  taken  down  and  put  up  quickly. 
Within  the  tabernacle  were  the  altars  where  sacrifices 
were  made,  the  sacred  vessels,  and  the  Ark  of  the  Cov- 
enant, which  was  a  kind  of  golden  box  containing  the 
tables  of  stone  on  which  the  Ten  Commandments  were 
written,  Aaron's  rod,  and  a  pot  of  the  manna. 

When  the  Hebrews  were  settled  in  Canaan,  God  led 
David  to  plan  for  a  beautiful  Temple  which  was  com- 
pleted under  King  Solomon.  This  Temple  was  the  largest 
and  most  beautiful  building  in  all  the  nation.  It  is  a  good 
sign  when  a  nation  builds  such  places  for  worship.  It 
shows  that  God  has  a  place  in  the  life  of  the  nation  and 
in  the  thought  of  the  people. 

A  Chase:  Aft^r  Wi^alth 

God  did  not  wish  his  people  to  spend  their  lives  chasing 
after  wealth  for  wealth's  sake.  Some  people  are  anxious 
to  make  money  in  order  that  they  may  do  good  with  it. 
Others  spend  all  their  lives  making  money  that  they  may 
keep  it  for  themselves.  The  latter  make  one  of  the 
greatest  mistakes  possible  for  people  to  make.  Wealth 
kept  for  selfish  purposes  can  never  make  anyone  really 
happy. 

It  has  been  said  that  a  young  man  once  lived  in  the 
realm  of  a  certain  king  of  the  long  ago.  This  young  man 
was  poor  but  he  had  a  great  desire  to  become  rich.     He 


124    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

was  unhappy  because  he  did  not  possess  lands  and  houses 
as  did  other  young  men  of  his  acquaintance.  The  king 
heard  of  the  sadness  of  this  young  subject  of  his  and  one 
day  he  called  him  into  his  presence  and  said :  "  I  hear  that 
you  are  always  sad  because  you  do  not  own  houses  and 
lands.  I  wish  all  my  subjects  to  be  happy,  so  I  am  going 
to  make  you  a  very  remarkable  ofifer.  I  will  give  to  you 
all  the  land  you  can  run  over  in  one  day  from  sunrise  to 
sunset.  You  must  start  from  one  point  at  sunrise  and  be 
back  at  that  same  point  at  sunset  or  you  will  not  win  the 
prize  I  ofifer."  The  young  man  gladly  accepted  the  chal- 
lenge and  was  at  the  appointed  place  before  the  rising  of 
the  sun  the  following  morning.  As  the  first  beams  of  the 
sun  came  over  the  horizon  the  youth  sprang  away.  He 
passed  swiftly  by  beautiful  fields  where  wild  flowers 
bloomed  and  rippling  waters  shone  brightly  in  the  morn- 
ing light.  He  could  stop  neither  to  admire  the  flowers 
nor  even  to  cool  his  thirst  in  the  water  of  the  brook.  He 
could  only  give  a  glance  and  murmur,  "  It's  mine,  all 
mine,"  and  rush  on  his  way.  He  passed  through  forests 
but  could  not  tarry  to  enjoy  their  shade,  along  orchards 
burdened  wih  fruit  but  could  not  stop  to  taste  their 
ofifered  food.  He  could  neither  tarry  to  enjoy  things  for 
himself  nor  to  do  any  helpful  thing  for  others.  He  must 
run,  run,  run.  Looking  up  he  saw  that  it  was  already 
past  noon.  He  must  turn  back.  Ahead  were  inviting 
fields  but  he  must  turn  and  reach  his  starting  place  ere 
sunset  or  he  would  lose  all.  He  reached  the  place  of  be- 
ginning just  as  the  sun  touched  the  western  horizon. 
"  It's  mine,"  he  gasped,  "  all  mine."  But  even  as  he  spoke 
his  cheeks  grew  white,  he  reeled  and  fell  to  the  earth,  and 
his  life  went  out. 

This  story  is  true  in  a  very  important  sense.  Men  do 
not  make  such  races  in  one  day,  but  they  sometimes  make 
such  races  for  forty  or  fifty  years,  or  more.  Their  day  of 
life  is  one  long  race  for  something  which  they  themselves 
cannot  enjoy  and  which  does  not  help  their  fellow  men. 

The  Lksson  Praykr 
Our  Father,  thou  hast  given  us  all  things  for  our  en- 
joyment and  our  use.     We  know  that  we  cannot  enjoy 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS    125 

thy  gifts  if  we  use  them  selfishly.  Help  us  so  to  love  thee 
and  our  fellow  men  that  we  shall  be  glad  to  use  all  that 
we  have  and  all  that  we  are  for  thy  glory  and  the  good 
of  humanity.  We  pray  that  we  may  think  of  ourselves 
as  thy  stewards  and  of  all  that  we  have  as  belonging  to 
thee.  Help  us  to  be  compassionate  toward  all  who  are 
in  need.  May  we  not  refuse  them  sympathy  and  help 
and  thus  become  ourselves  hard  of  heart.  We  ask  these 
things  in  the  name  of  thy  perfect  Son,  Jesus  Christ. 
Amen. 

Thi^  Lksson  Hymn 

"  We  give  thee  but  thine  own, 
Whate'er  the  gift  may  be: 
All  that  we  have  is  thine  alone, 
A  trust,  O  Lord,  from  thee. 

"  May  we  thy  bounties  thus 
As  stewards  true  receive, 
And  gladly,  as  thou  blessest  us. 
To  thee  our  first  fruits  give. 


''  To  comfort  and  to  bless, 
To  find  a  balm  for  woe. 
To  tend  the  lone  and  fatherless, 
Is  angels'  work  below. 


"  And  we  believe  thy  word, 

Though  dim  our  faith  may  be, 
Whate'er  for  thine  we  do,  O  Lord, 
We  do  it  unto  thee." 


EXPRESSIONAL  SESSION 

CHRISTIAN  STEWARDSHIP 
SUGGI<:STI0NS  FOR  Tilt  LKADKr's  OpIvNING  AdDRKSS 

There  is  a  little  book  entitled,  "  Money  the  Acid  Test " 
which  contains  some  good  lessons  on  Christian  giving. 
Giving  according  to  the  New  Testament  is  one  of  the 
Christian  graces.     It  ranks  with  prayer,  reading  of  the 


126    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

Bible,  and  service.  Paul  speaks  of  the  "  grace  "  of  lib- 
eral giving.  Just  as  a  person  cannot  become  a  strong 
Christian  without  prayer  and  without  reading  the  Bible, 
so  he  cannot  become  spiritually  strong  unless  he  knows 
how  to  give  for  the  support  of  the  Christian  Church  and 
for  the  relief  of  his  fellow  men  who  are  in  distress. 

You  can  usually  depend  upon  it  that  any  person  who 
grumbles  about  giving  to  the  Christian  cause  is  not  a 
large  giver.  Generous  givers  enjoy  giving-.  They  give 
cheerfully.  I  think  it  is  taught  in  the  Bible  that  we 
should  give  a  definite  and  proportionate  part  of  our  in- 
come to  the  Lord's  work.  The  Jews  gave  one  tenth  and 
a  good  many  gifts  in  addition,  and  it  seems  to  me  that 
Christians  ought  to  do  at  least  as  well. 

God  has  promised  to  bless  those  who  honor  him  by 
liberal  giving  and  there  are  thousands  who  testify  to  the 
fact  that  he  keeps  his  promise.  If  we  bring  the  whole 
tithe  into  the  storehouse  he  will  open  the  windows  of 
heaven  and  pour  us  out  a  blessing. 

Study  Topics 

1.  What  Is  the  "  Tenth  Legion  "? 

2.  What  Part  of  One's  Income  Ought  to  Be  Given  to 
Benevolences? 

3.  Causes  Which  a  Christian  Should  Help  to  Support. 

4.  What  Is  the  Effect  of  Generous  Giving  Upon  the 
Giver? 

5.  What  Is  the  Effect  of  Refusal  to  Give  Liberally 
Upon  the  One  Who  Makes  the  Refusal? 

Ve:rse:s  for  Use  in  thic  Meeting 

Mai.  3:10;  Matt.  5:42;  10:8;  Mark  10:21;  Luke  6:38; 
Acts  20:35;  II  Cor.  9  :7 ;  I  John  3:17. 

CoMMiTTEiCs  TO  Be  Appointed 

Committee  on  Benevolences,  to  encourage  generous 
giving  on  the  part  of  the  members  of  the  class,  to  enroll 
those  who  are  proportionate  givers,  and  to  determine 
what  good  causes  ought  to  be  helped  by  the  class. 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH   SCHOOL  LESSONS     127 

The  Class  Code 

The  Law  of  Liberal  Giving.  Liberal  giving  is  an  im- 
portant part  of  the  life  of  a  Christian  citizen.    Therefore : 

1.  We  will  think  of  all  that  we  possess  as  belonging 
to  God  and  of  ourselves  as  God's  stewards. 

2.  We  will  set  apart  a  definite  part  of  our  income  for 
the  support  of  the  Church  and  other  worthy  causes. 

3.  We  will  endeavor  to  give  wisely  as  well  as  liberally 
so  that  our  gifts  may  accomplish  as  much  as  possible  for 
God  and  humanity. 


CHAPTER  XI 

THE  HEBREW  NATION  MISSES  THE  MARK 

WEEK  DAY  SESSION 

JUSTICE  IS  FORGOTTEN  AND   BROTHERHOOD 
VIOLATED 

Isa.,  ch.  1 ;  Micah,  ch.  2 

We  have  seen  with  what  care  God  planted  the  Hebrew 
people  within  the  Promised  Land  and  how  he  gave  them 
laws  which  were  to  help  them  carry  out  their  high  destiny 
as  God's  helpers.  The  people  who  came  across  the  Jordan 
under  the  leadership  of  Joshua  were  a  race  of  heroes. 
They  were  lovers  of  liberty  and  worshipers  of  the  true 
God.  They  were  brothers  in  a  commonwealth  where  all 
were  free  and  equal.  None  had  great  wealth  and  none 
were  in  abject  poverty.  They  had  much  yet  to  learn,  but 
they  seemed  ready  to  begin  that  period  of  growth  through 
which  they  might  become  a  nation  which  should  be  as  a 
light  to  the  world. 

The  land  into  which  the  Hebrews  entered  was,  in  com- 
parison with  the  deserts  out  of  which  they  had  come,  a 
region  flowing  with  milk  and  honey.  It  had  houses 
already  built,  vineyards  and  fields  already  planted,  cities 
awaiting  the  coming  of  the  conquerors.  In  comparison 
with  their  former  condition  the  Hebrews,  by  the  conquest 
of  Canaan,  had  entered  suddenly  into  great  wealth. 

The  life  of  an  individual  is  a  conflict  between  good  and 
evil ;  so  is  the  life  of  a  nation.  The  Hebrews  were 
scarcely  settled  in  their  new  homes  when  that  conflict 
began.  Some  of  the  people  were  selfish,  caring  only  for 
wealth  and  power  and  honor;  others  remembered  the 
promise  made  to  Abraham  and  tried  to  keep  the  nation 
true  to  the  high  purposes  of  their  forefathers.  The 
struggle  between  good  and  evil  lasted  for  more  than  five 
hundred  years  before  the  Hebrew  nation  finally  fell  before 
invading  armies.     It  was  largely  a  losing  battle  for  the 

128 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS     129 

idealists,  but  we  shall  see  that  even  out  of  the  seeming 
failure  of  the  nation  God  was  gathering  up  the  fragments 
of  good  and  bringing  about  the  fulfillment  of  his  promises. 

The  Development  of  Wrong  Ideals  for  the  Nation. 
What  a  man  lives  for  determines  his  acts  and  his  char- 
acter. Likewise  a  nation  must  live  for  some  high  and 
worthy  end,  if  it  is  to  be  great  and  pure  in  character. 
We  have  seen  that  the  goal  which  God  had  in  mind  for 
the  Hebrew  nation  was  the  greatest  in  all  the  world,  but 
gradually  the  nation  lost  sight  of  this.  The  leaders  of 
the  nation  began  to  be  ambitious  for  their  country  to  be 
powerful  and  rich  like  other  nations  of  the  world.  They 
wished  to  have  a  vast  region  of  the  earth  brought  under 
the  rule  of  the  nation.  They  wished  a  magnificant  capital 
and  a  splendid  court  and  a  strong  standing  army. 
Through  the  prophets  God  told  the  leaders  of  the  nation 
that  in  desiring  these  things  they  were  rejecting  the  lead- 
ership of  Jehovah,  but  the  warnings  of  the  prophets  went 
unheeded.  In  seeking  to  be  powerful  and  great  accord- 
ing to  worldly  standards  the  nation  began  to  be  incapable 
of  greatness  according  to  the  standards  of  God. 

Concentration  of  Wealth  and  Oppression  of  the  Poor. 
Ways  were  found  for  avoiding  the  wise  laws  which  God 
had  given  guard  against  the  gathering  of  the  wealth  of 
the  nation  into  the  hands  of  a  few  people.  Gradually  it 
came  about  that  nearly  all  the  land  was  owned  by  a  few 
families  and  nearly  all  the  other  forms  of  wealth  belonged 
to  them,  too.  The  masses  of  the  people  became  very 
poor.  They  were  dependent  on  their  rich  countrymen  for 
everything.  They  had  to  borrow  money  for  food  and 
clothing  and  if  a  man  owed  for  only  a  pair  of  shoes  he 
could  be  sold  as  a  slave  and  must  remain  in  slavery  until 
he  paid  the  debt. 

God's  gracious  laws  made  to  defend  widows  and 
orphans  were  disregarded.  So  greedy  for  gain  were  the 
money  makers  that  they  would  defraud  a  widow  as 
quickly  as  they  would  anyone  else.  God  had  said,  "  Ye 
shall  not  afflict  any  widow,  or  fatherless  child,"  but  these 
men  of  greed  scofifed  at  all  such  laws  which  hindered  their 
"  business."  God  is  wondrously  patient  but  he  never 
suffers  his  words  to  fail.     He  knows  when  one  sparrow 


130     INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

falls :  how  much  more  when  those  who  are  made  in  his 
image  suffer  wrong!  God  made  a  big  world  full  of  food, 
air,  and  sunshine  and  he  was  displeased  when  these 
greedy  people  crowded  families  into  narrow,  dark,  and 
unhealthful  quarters  in  the  cities  of  Palestine ;  when  they 
joined  house  to  house  until  there  was  no  room  in  the 
midst  of  the  land,  wdien  the  women  of  God's  people  were 
*'  cast  out  of  their  pleasant  houses,  and  God's  glory  was 
taken  away  from  little  children  forever,  God  took  ac- 
count of  it."    Micah  2  :9. 

Corruption  of  the  Government.  Governments  exist  for 
the  purpose  of  securing  justice  and  opportunity  for  all. 
When  they  fail  in  this  regard  they  fail  in  their  highest 
duty  and  become  the  instruments  of  tyranny.  The  time 
came  when  in  the  courts  of  the  Hebrew  nation  the  judges 
accepted  bribes.  They  gave  their  decisions  not  in  ac- 
cordance with  the  facts  but  in  favor  of  the  party  which 
could  pay  the  highest  bribe.  Here  is  a  scathing  rebuke 
which  a  brave  prophet  uttered  against  the  bribe  takers 
of  his  day : 

"  Hear  this,  I  pray  you,  ye  heads  of  the  house  of  Jacob,  and 
rulers  of  the  house  of  Israel,  that  abhor  justice  and  pervert  all 
equity.  They  build  up  Zion  with  blood,  and  Jerusalem  with 
iniquity.  The  heads  thereof  judge  for  reward,  and  the  priests 
thereof  teach  for  hire,  and  the  prophets  thereof  divine  for 
money:  yet  they  lean  upon  Jehovah,  and  say.  Is  not  Jehovah  in 
the  midst  of  us?  no  evil  shall  come  upon  us." — Micah  3:9-11. 

Division  and  Weakness.  These  evils  soon  began  to 
bear  fruit  in  the  nation.  One  of  the  first  effects  of  the 
attempt  of  the  nation  to  maintain  a  magnificent  court  and 
a  great  standing  army  was  a  discontent  so  wide  and  deep 
that  it  rent  the  nation  in  two  under  Solomon's  unwise 
son.  Henceforth  any  large  place  for  the  nation  among 
the  nations  of  the  earth  was  impossible.  It  was  divided 
and  weak.  There  were  now  two  Hebrew  nations:  the 
northern  part  was  known  as  the  Kingdom  of  Israel,  or 
the  Kingdom  of  Ephraim ;  the  southern  section  was  called 
the  Kingdom  of  Judah.  The  history  of  the  Northern 
Kingdom  is  one  dreadful  tale  of  usurpations  and  assas- 
sinations down  to  the  time  when  an  invading  army  of 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS     131 

Ass^^rians  entered  the  country,  besieged  its  capital,  and 
carried  away  the  ten  northern  tril)es  into  a  captivity  from 
which  they  never  returned. 

The  Drunkards  of  Ephraim.  Another  great  evil  grew 
up  among  the  Hebrew  people.  When  they  entered 
Canaan  they  found  it  a  land  of  vineyards.  They  made 
wine  and  drank  it  after  it  had  undergone  a  process  of 
fermentation.  Before  the  final  downfall  of  the  Northern 
Kingdom,  it  had  degenerated  into  a  drunken  nation. 
Even  the  leaders  of  the  Jewish  Church  were  drunken 
levelers : 


"  And  even  these  reel  with  wine,  and  stagger  with  strong 
drink;  the  priest  and  the  prophet  reel  with  strong  drink,  they 
are  swallowed  up  of  wine,  they  stagger  with  strong  drink;  they 
err  in  vision,  they  stumble  in  judgment.  For  all  tables  are  full 
of  vomit  and  hlthiness,  so  that  there  is  no  place  clean.  .  .  . 
Woe  to  the  crown  of  pride  of  the  drunkards  of  Ephraim,  and 
to  the  fading  flower  of  his  glorious  beauty." — Isa.  28:7,  8,  1. 


Haughty  Pride  Instead  of  Humble  Service.  The  more 
the  Hebrew  people  departed  from  their  God-given  task, 
the  more  proud  and  cold  they  became.  Instead  of  seek- 
ing to  lead  other  nations  to  know  the  true  God  they  de- 
spised them.  They  thought  of  themselves  as  superior  to 
other  peoples  of  the  earth.  They  were  God's  chosen 
people  and  were  too  good  to  associate  with  the  people  of 
other  nations.  They  forgot  that  none  are  great  in  God's 
sight  except  as  they  are  great  in  service,  that  Jehovah  had 
chosen  them  not  because  of  their  superior  excellence  but 
because  he  wished  through  them  to  bless  all  the  nations 
of  the  earth. 

The  Protest  of  the  Prophets.  We  must  not  think  that 
all  this  change  for  the  worse  went  on  without  protest 
from  any  of  the  Hebrews.  On  the  contrary,  there  were 
brave  men  in  every  generation  who  dared  to  speak  out  in 
condemnation  of  the  evils  which  they  saw  thickening 
around  them.  These  men  were  the  Hebrew  prophets,  a 
group  of  men  so  remarkably  heroic  that  we  are  to  give 
them  a  more  thorough  study  in  some  of  the  succeeding 
chapters  of  this  book. 


132     INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

The  Age  Long  Battle  Between  Good  and  Evii. 

That  struggle  which  went  on  for  so  many  centuries  in 
the  Hebrew  nation  is  going  on  in  every  nation  of  the 
earth  to-day.  It  is  going  on  in  our  own  country.  It  must 
go  on  until  the  right  triumphs  and  the  Kingdom  of  God 
is  set  upon  earth.  We  are  all  soldiers  on  one  side  or  the 
other.  Our  country  has  won  a  victory  over  the  evil 
liquor  forces.  We  have  begun  to  make  our  nation  safe 
from  becoming  like  that  shameful  nation  of  long  ago,  the 
nation  of  the  drunkards  of  Ephraim.  But  we  have  other 
battles  that  are  not  yet  won  and  we  shall  need  all  our 
forces  trained  and  well-equipped  if  we  are  to  hold  our 
nation  for  God  and  his  coming  Kingdom.  We  must 
strive  to  be  true  to  the  high  ideals  for  which  our  fore- 
fathers lived  and  for  which  some  of  them  gave  up  their 
lives.  We  must  be  true  to  those  who  call  to  us  across-the 
years : 

"  Take  up  our  quarrel  with  the  foe: 
To  you,  from  failing  hands  we  throw 
The  torch;  be  yours  to  lift  it  high. 
If  you  break  faith  with  us  who  die 
We  shall  not  sleep,  though  poppies  grow 
In  Flanders  fields." 


SUNDAY  SESSION 

THE  HEBREW  NATION  FORGETS  GOD 
Isa.,  ch.  1 ;  Amos  5  :21-2 4  ;  Micah  6  :G-8 

At  the  time  when  the  Hebrews  were  forgetting  justice 
and  brotherhood  they  were  losing  their  knowledge  of  God 
and  their  fellowship  with  him.  It  is  always  so  in  life. 
God  will  have  no  people  for  his  own  when  they  despise 
and  mistreat  their  fellow  men.  There  is  no  righteousness 
toward  God  where  there  is  no  brotherhood  with  men. 

Empty  Worship.  Many  of  the  Hebrews  still  kept  up 
the  outward  forms  of  worship.  They  still  brought  sacri- 
fices to  God's  altars ;  they  burned  incense  to  Jehovah ; 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS     133 

they  held  solemn  meetings ;  they  spread  forth  their  hands 
to  God  in  prayer.  These  acts  were  all  good  and  right  in 
themselves,  but  when  they  were  the  acts  of  people  who 
were  guilty  of  heartless  cruelty  toward  their  fellow  men, 
they  became  empty,  hypocritical,  offensive  to  the  great 
and  loving  God  whom  we  can  never  deceive  with  flattery 
and  empty  praise.  With  majestic  indignation  the  Al- 
mighty rebuked  such  acts  of  empty  worship  by  speaking 
through  prophets  who  were  brave  enough  to  say  what 
God  told  them  to  say. 

"What  unto  me  is  the  multitude  of  3''0ur  sacrifices?  saith 
Jehovah:  I  have  had  enough  of  the  burnt-offerings  of  rams,  and 
the  fat  of  fed  beasts;  and  I  delight  not  in  the  blood  of  bullocks, 
or  of  lambs,  or  of  he-goats.  When  ye  come  to  appear  before 
me,  who  hath  required  this  at  your  hand,  to  trample  my  courts? 
Bring  no  more  vain  oblations;  incense  is  an  abomination  unto 
me;  new  moon  and  sabbath,  the  calling  of  assemblies, — I  cannot 
away  with  iniquity  and  the  solemn  meeting.  Your  new  moons 
and  your  appointed  feasts  my  soul  hateth;  they  are  a  trouble 
unto  me;  I  am  weary  of  bearing  them.  And  when  ye  spread 
forth  your  hands,  I  will  hide  mine  eyes  from  you;  yea,  when  ye 
make  many  prayers,  I  will  not  hear:  your  hands  are  full  of  blood. 
Wash  you,  make  3  ou  clean;  put  away  the  evil  of  your  doings 
from  before  mine  eyes;  cease  to  do  evil;  learn  to  do  well;  seek 
justice,  relieve  the  oppressed,  judge  the  fatherless,  plead  for  the 
widow." — Isa.  1:11-17. 

Idolatry.  Others  of  the  Hebrews  turned  away  from 
the  worship  of  Jehovah  and  became  worshipers  of  idols 
like  Baal  and  Molech.  These  apostates  from  the  faith  of 
their  fathers  were  at  least  consistent.  They  worshiped 
pagan  gods  which  laid  no  such  moral  restrictions  on  their 
worshipers  as  Jehovah  has  laid  upon  all  who  worship 
him,  but  in  forsaking  the  God  of  light  these  deserters 
from  Jehovah  quickly  sank  into  all  the  moral  degradation 
and  superstition  of  paganism. 

No  Time  for  God's  Sabbath.  So  absorbed  did  some  of 
the  people  become  in  money-making  that  they  found  the 
keeping  of  the  Sabbath  a  bore.  They  cheated  one  another 
in  weights  and  measures  and  sold  useless  and  adulterated 
foods.  Here  is  a  sample  conversation  of  these  ancient 
profiteers  as  given  to  us  by  one  of  the  prophets : 


134    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

*' When  will  the  new  moon  be  gone,  that  we  may  sell  grain? 
and  the  sabbath,  that  we  may  set  forth  wheat,  making  the  ephah 
small,  and  the  shekel  great,  and  dealing  falsely  with  balances 
of  deceit;  that  we  may  buy  the  poor  for  silver,  and  the  needy 
lor  a  pair  of  shoes,  and  sell  the  refuse  of  the  wheat?" — 
Amos  8:5,  6. 

God's  House  Filled  with  Rubbish.  As  the  ebb  and  flow 
of  the  battle  between  good  and  evil  swept  back  and  forth 
over  the  land,  at  one  time  one  side  seemed  to  be  gaining", 
at  another  time  the  opposite  side  seemed  to  be  gaining. 
At  one  time  the  worship  of  God  was  so  far  abandoned 
tliat  the  great  Temple  of  Solomon  stood  idle  for  years 
and  became  a  dumping  place  for  rubbish.  Then  a  re- 
forming king  gained  the  throne,  cleaned  out  the  Temple, 
restored  the  worship  of  Jehovah,  and  smashed  the  idols 
through  all  the  land.  A  few  years  after  such  a  reforma- 
tion idolatry  would  be  found  creeping  in  again  and  the 
reformation  would  have  to  be  made  anew. 

Sick  Lambs  for  God's  Altar.  As  the  people  wandered 
farther  away  from  God,  they  ceased  to  give  a  tenth  of 
their  harvests  to  God.  Many  of  them  gave  nothing  at 
all.  Others  manifested  an  even  meaner  spirit  than  these 
who  refused  to  give  anything  to  God.  It  was  the  law  of 
the  land  that  if  a  man  brought  a  lamb  to  offer  as  a  burnt 
sacrifice  to  God,  he  should  choose  an  animal  that  was 
without  blemish.  Some  people  were  mean  enough  to 
choose  as  an  offering  to  God  a  lamb  that  was  lame  and 
could  not  follow  the  flock  or  an  animal  that  was  sick  and 
about  to  die.  We  may  be  sure  that  God  was  more  dis- 
pleased with  this  economical  religion  than  he  was  with 
none  at  all. 

Evils  Which  Menace  Our  National  Destiny 
We  believe  that  our  nation,  like  the  Hebrew  nation,  has 
a  God-given  mission  to  all  the  nations  of  the  earth.  It 
has  already  been  used  by  God  to  teach  the  principles  of 
liberty,  equality,  and  brotherhood  to  other  nations  of  the 
world.  If  our  nation  is  to  carry  out  God-s  plans,  it  must 
be  kept  true  to  God's  ideals.  It  must  be  guarded  from 
the  dangers  discussed  in  the  following  paragraphs. 

Materialism.  By  materialism  is  meant  the  overemphasis 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS    135 

of  property  and  places  of  power  and  leadership  and  the 
underemphasis  of  such  values  as  goodness  and  purity  of 
life  and  the  service  of  one's  fellow  men.  Americans  are 
in  great  danger  of  looking  too  much  at  the  material  things 
which  are  seen,  too  little  at  the  spiritual  things  which  are 
not  seen. 

Race  Hatred.  Our  country  is  "  dedicated  to  the  propo- 
sition that  all  men  are  created  equal."  Yet  we  have  not 
always  lived  up  to  this  high  standard.  If  all  men  are  free 
and  equal,  all  men  have  certain  claims  on  our  help  and 
fellowship  which  we  cannot  consisently  deny.  If  we  are 
consistent  American  Christians,  there  will  be  no  place  in 
our  lives  for  race  prejudices.  There  will  be  for  us  neither 
Jew  nor  Greek,  bond  nor  free,  but  all  will  be  brethren  in 
the  fellowship  of  the  nation  and  the  fatherhood  of  God. 

Irreligion.  There  are  in  America  more  than  twenty 
million  children  and  youth  growing  up  without  receiving 
any  religious  training  worthy  of  the  name.  There  is 
another  vast  army  of  grown  people  who  are  not  members 
of  any  church.  This  second  army  is  more  than  fifty  mil- 
lion strong.  Some  of  this  number  are  very  excellent  per- 
sons, but  their  interest  in  religion  must  be  small  or  they 
would  be  members  of  some  church.  Can  our  nation  be 
a  real  helper  of  God  if  less  than  half  of  its  citizens  are 
professed  believers  in  God  and  open  followers  of  Christ? 

The  Faith  Which  Makics  AlIv  Men  Brothers 

A  young  man  who  was  a  theological  student  once  took 
ship  from  Seattle,  Washington,  for  San  Francisco,  Cali- 
fornia. Like  many  other  young  men  who  are  studying 
for  the  ministry  he  did  not  have  much  money  and  wished 
to  go  as  cheaply  as  he  could,  so  he  bought  a  ten  dollar 
steerage  ticket.  He  had  to  occupy  a  small  cabin  with  six 
other  men.  He  found  that  the  people  who  take  steerage 
passage  on  ocean  liners  are  not  always  desirable  traveling 
companions.  Before  he  had  been  on  his  way  many  hours 
he  was  thoroughly  sick  of  the  profanity,  obscene  jesting, 
and  lewd  stories  of  his  roommates.  He  wondered  whether 
he  was  the  only  Christian  in  the  steerage  cabins.  He 
spent  a  good  deal  of  time  out  on  that  part  of  the  deck 

10 


136    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

which  was  open  to  passengers  of  his  class.  There,  at 
least  the  pure  ocean  breezes  fanned  his  cheeks  and  the 
great  billowy  sea  stretched  far  away. 

Perhaps  he  ought  to  have  sought  an  acquaintance  with 
his  rough  traveling  companions,  but  he  shrank  from  the 
effort.  He  was  homesick  and  lonely  for  fellowship  with 
some  one  who  felt  and  thought  as  he  did  about  life  and  its 
duties,  responsibilities,  and  meaning.  He  was  homesick 
for  that  which  the  Christian  Church  has  named  the  "  fel- 
owship  of  believers." 

Looking  across  the  waters  to  the  westward  the  student 
watched  the  sun  sink  like  a  great  red  ball  of  fire  into  the 
Pacific.  There  was  just  a  little  ripple  on  the  waters  now, 
just  enough  to  make  a  pathway  of  golden  glory  running 
from  the  ship  along  the  rippling  surface  of  the  sea  away 
out  to  the  setting  sun.  The  scene  filled  his  mind  with 
thoughts  of  the  eternal  God  who  made  the  sea  and  all 
things  that  are  therein.  He  wondered  how  his  traveling 
companions  could  look  on  the  glory  of  such  a  scene  with 
eyes  utterly  unseeing.  He  became  conscious  that  some 
one  else,  however,  was  taking  in  the  glories  of  the  sun- 
set. A  young  Japanese  stood  at  the  rail  and  was  looking 
away  toward  the  western  horizon.  Perhaps  he  was  only 
homesick  and  thinking  of  his  native  land  somewhere  there 
beyond  the  ocean  sky  line.  But,  no,  he  was  humming  a 
tune.  It  was  a  familiar  air  and  he  sang  the  words  in 
broken  English : 

"  Rock  of  Ages,  cleft  for  me, 
Let  me  hide  myself  in  thee; 
Let  the  water  and  the  blood, 
From  thy  riven  side  which  flowed. 
Be  of  sin  the  double  cure. 
Cleanse  me  from  its  guilt  and  power," 

Suddenly  the  young  Japanese  turned  to  the  student  and 
said:  "That  is  a  Christian  song.  I  am  a  Christian,  are 
you  ?  "  The  young  student  felt  in  that  moment  that  the 
fellowship  of  believers  is  a  very  real  thing  and  that  it 
wipes  out  all  distinctions  of  race  and  condition  and  makes 
all  who  believe  in  Jesus  one  great  family  under  the  father- 
hood of  God. 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS     137 

The:  Li:sson  Prayer 

Our  Father,  we  thank  thee  for  our  fellowship  with 
others  who  believe  in  thee  and  in  thy  Son,  our  Lord. 
Help  us  to  be  like  our  Master  in  the  wideness  of  our 
sympathy  for  all  classes  of  people  and  in  our  deep  love 
for  them.  Deliver  us  from  the  narrowness  and  meanness 
of  social  prejudices  and  race  hatreds.  We  ask  in  the 
name  of  thy  Son.    Amen. 

The  Lesson  Hymn 

"  Blest  be  the  tie  that  binds 

Our  hearts  in  Christian  love: 
The  fellowship  of  kindred  minds 
Is  like  to  that  above. 


"  We  share  our  mutual  woes, 
Our  mutual  burdens  bear, 
And  often  for  each  other  flows 
The  sympathizing  tear. 


"  From  sorrow,  toil,  and  pain, 
And  sin  we  shall  be  free; 
And  perfect  love  and  friendship  reign 
Through  all  eternity." 


EXPRESSIONAL  SESSION 

THE  UNIVERSAL  BROTHERHOOD   IN   CHRIST 
Suggestions  for  the  Leader's  Opening  Address 

Paul  said  that  there  could  be  neither  Jew  nor  Greek, 
bond  nor  free,  in  Christ.  The  Jews  and  Greeks  were 
about  as  different  in  language,  customs,  and  race  as  we 
can  well  imagine.  The  difference  between  a  free  man  and 
a  man  who  is  held  as  a  slave  is  as  great  a  social  difference 
as  we  can  conceive.  So  Paul  must  have  meant  that 
Christianity  wipes  out  all  racial  and  social  distinctions. 
He  meant  that  if  we  are  Christians  we  will  not  take  into 
consideration  whether  or  not  a  person  is  of  the  same  race 


138    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

as  ourselves.  We  will  welcome  as  brothers  in  the  Chris- 
tian family  people  who  speak  a  different  language  from 
ourselves,  people  who  have  a  different  color  to  their  skins 
and  different  customs  from  those  to  which  we  are  ac- 
customed. Christianity  is  far  above  any  other  religion  in 
this  respect  and  one  of  the  reasons  why  it  has  been  such 
a  blessing  to  the  world  is  found  in  this  same  principle. 
Because  it  disregards  racial  and  social  distinctions,  it  has 
laid  foundations  for  liberty,  equality,  and  justice  on  which 
the  great  republics  of  modern  times  are  built. 

Study  Topics 

1.  What  Should  Be  the  Attitude  of  a  White  Christian 
Toward  Colored  People? 

2.  Is  It  Right  to  Forbid  the  Chinese  and  Japanese  to 
Own  Property  in  Our  Country  When  This  Right  Is 
Granted  to  All  Other  Peoples  of  the  World  ? 

3.  Is  It  Right  to  Call  Foreign  People  Contemptuous 
Nicknames? 

4.  Can  You  Name  Some  Ways  in  Which  Foreign- 
Speaking  People  Are  Ahead  of  Our  Own  People,  and 
Some  Things  We  Might  Learn  from  Them? 

Vkrsks  for  Use:  in  thic  Mrkting 

Matt.  28:19;  Luke  10:25-37;  Rom.  1:14,  16;  Phile- 
mon 16. 

Committee  to  Be  Appointed 

Committee  on  Social  Fellowship  with  young  people  of 
foreign  parentage,  to  find  out  about  young  people  of  this 
type  living  in  the  community  and  to  report  plans  for  in- 
teresting them  in  our  church  school. 

The  Class  Code 

The  Law  of  Christian  Brotherhood  and  Universal  Good 
Will.  One  who  becomes  a  Christian  enters  into  a  brother- 
hood of  believers  where  all  social  and  racial  distinctions 
are   done   away    with ;   moreover,    the    Christian    recog- 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH   SCHOOL  LESSONS     139 

nizes  a  broader  brotherhood  which  includes  all  mankind. 
Therefore : 

1.  We  will  do  good  to  all  men,  especially  to  those 
"  that  are  of  the  household  of  the  faith." 

2.  We  will  endeavor  to  free  our  lives  from  all  forms 
of  racial  or  social  prejudice. 

3.  We  will  strive  to  bring  others  into  the  fellowship 
of  believers  where  the  brotherhood  of  man  and  the  father- 
hood of  God  are  recognized. 


CHAPTER  XII 

GOD  PUNISHING  A  NATION'S  SINS 

WEEK  DAY  SESSION 

THE  DECLINE  AND  FALL  OF  THE  KINGDOM 
OF  ISRAEL 

I  Kings  12:25-30;  14:1-16;  II  Kings  17:7-24 

We  have  seen  how  the  Jewish  nation  was  divided  under 
the  reign  of  Rehoboam,  the  son  of  Solomon.  The  north- 
ern portion  became  known  as  the  Kingdom  of  Israel.  It 
was  composed  of  ten  tribes  and  had  by  far  the  better 
part  of  the  land,  but  it  was  first  to  fall.  As  we  read  the 
story  of  the  destruction  of  the  Hebrew  nation  one  lesson 
stands  out  clearly  above  all  others  and  that  is  the  fact 
that  the  nation  fell  because  it  transgressed  the  command- 
ments of  God, 

Retributive  Punishment.  When  a  punishment  is  not 
arbitrarily  imposed,  but  grows  naturally  out  of  the  offense 
as  one  of  its  inevitable  consequences,  we  say  that  the 
punishment  is  retributive.  A  boy  who  is  selfish  and  mean 
to  his  playmates  will  be  punished  by  becoming  disliked 
and  by  having  no  friends.  His  punishment  is  a  retribu- 
tion. It  grows  out  of  his  own  acts  and  attitudes.  God's 
punishments  are  usually  of  this  kind.  They  come  as  a 
natural  consequence  of  the  evil  deeds  of  men  and  nations. 
The  punishments  which  the  Hebrew  people  underwent 
were  retributions  brought  upon  them  by  their  own  sins. 

A  Government  in  Which  God  Had  No  Share.  The  re- 
volt which  led  to  the  division  of  the  Hebrew  kingdom 
was  led  by  a  young  man  named  Jereboam.  He  became 
the  first  king  of  the  Kingdom  of  Israel.  Fearing  that  the 
people  would  return  to  their  allegiance  to  the  house  of 
David  if  they  continued  to  go  to  Jerusalem  to  worship, 
Jeroboam  schemed  to  avoid  this  danger  by  establishing 
a  religion  of  his  own.  He  "  made  two  calves  of  gold ;  and 
he  said  unto  them,  the  people,  It  is  too  much  for  you  to 

140 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS     141 

go  up  to  Jerusalem  ;  behold  thy  gods,  O  Israel,  which 
brought  thee  up  out  of  the  land  of  Egypt.  And  he  set 
the  one  in  Bethel,  and  the  other  put  he  in  Dan."  The 
crafty  king  then  proceeded  to  organize  a  priesthood  for 
his  idolatrous  regligion.  He  appointed  feast  days  to  take 
the  place  of  the  feasts  which  God  had  ordained  for  the 
Jewish  people.  This  whole  procedure  was  a  shrewd 
political  move  on  the  part  of  the  young  king,  but,  like 
other  shrewd  moves  which  leave  God  out  of  account,  it 
brought  certain  far-reaching  and  disastrous  results. 
When  the  people  of  the  Northern  Kingdom  turned  from 
the  worship  of  the  true  God  to  bow  down  to  golden 
calves  which  they  had  made  themselves,  they  soon  lost 
sight  of  the  high  moral  standards  of  Jehovah.  The  whole 
spiritual  life  of  the  people  underwent  a  swift  process  of 
degeneration.  They  became,  like  other  idol  worshipers, 
immoral,  cruel,  deceitful,  and  selfish.  What  the  short- 
sighted king  thought  would  be  for  the  safety  of  his 
throne  soon  undermined  it,  for  a  people  who  do  not  honor 
God  never  really  honor  the  king.  The  house  of  Jeroboam 
was  soon  overthrown  and  from  that  time  until  the  final 
destruction  of  the  kingdom  the  story  of  the  different  kings 
who  sat  on  the  throne  of  Israel  is  that  of  a  typical 
Oriental  despotism.  There  were  continuous  plottings,  in- 
surrections, and  assassinations.  There  was  that  insta- 
bility and  insecurity  which  is  one  of  the  solemn  retribu- 
tions which  overtake  the  nation  which  dishonors  God. 

An  Apostate  King  Feels  His  Need  of  God  in  an  Hour 
of  Great  Distress.  A  pathetic  incident  occurred  in  the 
closing  days  of  King  Jeroboam,  who  caused  Israel  to  sin. 
We  have  seen  how  he  deliberately  led  his  people  away 
from  the  worship  of  the  true  God  and  caused  them  to  be- 
come idolators.  We  have  suggested  that  this  was  only  a 
political  measure.  An  incident  in  the  life  of  Jeroboam 
seems  to  indicate  that  he  had  no  real  faith  in  his  own 
golden-calf  gods.  Down  deep  in  his  heart  he  knew  that 
Jehovah  was  the  only  God.  Jeroboam  had  a  young  son 
named  Abijah.  This  son  became  very  ill  and  Jeroboam 
was  in  great  distress.  He  wished  to  find  out  what  the 
end  would  be.  Would  his  son  die  or  would  he  live?  Did 
Jeroboam  go  to  the  priests  and  prophets  of  the  golden 


142    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

calves  when  he  was  in  soul  distress?  No,  he  knew  that 
over  at  Shiloh  was  a  prophet  of  Jehovah  and  he  told  his 
wife  to  disguise  herself  and  to  go  to  Shiloh  and  inquire 
of  this  prophet  of  the  true  God.  The  prophet  recognized 
the  wife  of  Jeroboam  and  told  her  of  the  impending  doom 
of  the  whole  household  of  the  king. 

The  Gathering  Storm.  During  the  years  when  the 
little  Hebrew  nation  was  undergoing  the  process  of 
division  and  during  the  years  when  the  fragments  of  the 
sundered  nation  were  quarreling  and  fighting  with  one 
another,  a  great  world  power  was  rising  in  the  Euphrates 
Valley.  This  power  is  known  in  history  as  the  Assyrian 
monarchy.  The  Assyrians  were  among  the  most  cruel 
conquerors  of  history.  As  they  spread  their  dominion 
westward  one  small  nation  after  another  went  down  be- 
fore them.  Terror  stirred  in  the  hearts  of  nations  as  yet 
far  from  the  line  of  conquest,  because  they  could  see  that 
the  menace  was  constantly  drawing  nearer  to  their 
borders. 

It  happened  that  at  the  time  when  the  Assyrian  armies 
were  drawing  near  the  borders  of  Palestine  a  petty  war 
was  in  progress  between  the  Kingdom  of  Judah  on  the 
one  side  and  the  kingdoms  of  Israel  and  Syria  on  the 
other.  The  king  of  Judah  thought  he  saw  in  the  situa- 
tion an  opportunity  to  get  the  better  of  his  foes.  He  sent 
word  to  the  Assyrians  inviting  them  to  come  to  his  help 
against  his  two  enemies.  The  Assyrians  did  not  need  a 
second  invitation.  They  came  and  conquered  Damascus, 
the  capital  of  Syria,  carrying  the  inhabitants  far  away 
into  Mesopotamia.  The  king  of  Israel,  seeing  the  fate  of 
his  ally,  submitted  to  the  Assyrian  and  his  nation  became 
a  tribute-paying  dependency  of  the  Assyrian  empire. 

The  Siege  and  Capture  of  Samaria.  A  few  years  later 
the  king  of  Israel  tried  to  throw  off  the  yoke  of  Assyrian 
dominion.  He  sought  to  form  an  alliance  with  the  king 
of  Egypt,  but  the  Assyrians  came  with  a  vast  army  and 
overran  all  the  land.  The  Israelites  fled  to  their  capital, 
Samaria,  behind  whose  walls  they  hoped  to  be  able  to 
defend  themselves  until  an  army  should  come  out  from 
Egypt  and  deliver  them.  But  the  army  from  Egypt 
never  came.    The  besieged  city  held  out  for  three  years 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS     143 

and  then  the  Assyrians  captured  the  place  by  assault. 
Famine  and  war  had  reduced  the  inhabitants  of  the  lan^ 
to  a  pitiful  handful.  These  last  remnants  of  the  nation 
were  gathered  together  and  driven  like  sheep  far  across 
the  deserts  and  scattered  among  the  Assyrian  provinces 
of  the  Euphrates  Valley. 

The  Lost  Tribes  of  Israel.  The  ten  tribes  which  com- 
posed the  nation  of  Israel  disappeared  from  history. 
They  are  known  as  "  The  Lost  Tribes."  Scattered  among 
many  provinces  of  the  vast  Assyrian  Empire,  they  were 
absorbed  into  other  races  and  ceased  to  exist  as  a  nation. 
If  they  had  possessed  a  high  degree  of  devotion  to  Je- 
hovah, their  God,  they  could  doubtless  have  lived  as  a 
race  and  a  nation  even  under  the  appalling  hardships  of 
deportation,  even  as  the  rest  of  the  Jews  lived  at  a  later 
time  and  have  lived  for  thousands  of  years.  But  these 
ten  tribes  had  turned  away  from  the  worship  of  the  true 
God  to  the  worship  of  golden  calves.  The  faith  in  Je- 
hovah which  their  forefathers  manifested  could  have 
saved  them,  but  their  faith  in  the  golden  calves  was  of 
no  avail. 

The  Future  of  Our  Nation  Dependent  Upon  Its 

Attitude  Toward  God 
If  we  are  loyal  American  citizens  we  rejoice  in  the 
great  past  of  our  nation.  We  are  proud  of  our  country. 
We  like  to  let  it  be  known  that  v/e  are  Americans.  If  we 
are  right-minded  American  citizens  we  have  great  hopes 
for  the  future  of  our  land.  We  hope  to  see  every  flaw  in 
c  ur  national  life  mended.  We  strive  for  a  better  America 
for  to-morrow.  We  see  across  the  years  its  '*  alabaster 
cities  gleam  undimmed  by  human  tears."  If  we  are  wise 
American  citizens  we  know  that  our  national  greatness 
is  not  due  to  our  material  resources,  our  stores  of  coal 
and  oil,  our  broad  and  fertile  prairies.  We  know  if  we 
are  not  spiritually  blind,  that  ''  righteousness  exalteth  a 
nation  "  and  that  America  is  great  only  in  so  far  as  she 
has  walked  in  righteousness  before  God.  We  believe 
that  the  place  of  America  among  the  nations  of  the  earth 
in  centuries  to  come  may  be  sublimely  great  if  only  our 
nation  will  honor  God  and  walk  with  him. 


144    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

"  God  of  our  fathers,  known  of  old, 
Lord  of  our  far-flung  battle  line, 
Beneath  whose  awful  hand  we  hold 
Dominion  over  palm  and  pine: 

Lord  God  of  hosts,  be  with  us  yet, 
Lest  we  forget — lest  we  forget. 

"The  tumult  and  the  shouting  dies; 
The  captains  and  the  kings  depart; 
Still  stands  thine  ancient  sacrifice, 
An  humble  and  a  contrite  heart: 
Lord  God  of  hosts,  be  with  us  yet, 
Lest  we  forget — lest  we  forget. 

"  Far  called  our  navies  melt  away; 

On  dune  and  headland  sinks  the  fire; 
Lo,  all  our  pomp  of  yesterday 
Is  one  with  Nineveh  and  Tyre! 
Judge  of  the  nations,  spare  us  yet, 
Lest  we  forget — lest  we  forget. 

"  If,  drunk  with  sight  of  power,  we  loose 
Wild  tongues  that  have  not  thee  in  awe, 
Such  boastings  as  the  Gentiles  use, 
Or  lesser  breeds  without  the  law: 
Lord  God  of  hosts,  be  with  us  yet, 
Lest  we  forget — lest  we  forget. 

"  For  heathen  heart  that  puts  her  trust 

In  reeking  tube  and  iron  shard; 

All  valiant  dust  that  builds  on  dust. 

And,  guarding,  calls  not  thee  to  guard; 
For  frantic  boast  and  foolish  word. 
Thy  mercy  on  thy  people,  Lord." 


SUNDAY  SESSION 

DECLINE  AND  FALL  OF  THE  KINGDOM  OF  JUDAH 

II  Kings,  chs.  24,  25 

The  record  of  the  Kingdom  of  Judah  is  less  shameful 
than  that  of  the  Kingdom  of  Israel.  The  house  of  David 
continued  to  the  end  of  the  kingdom.  There  were  not  the 
wholesale  assassinations  and  the  violence  which  makes 
the  history  of  the  Northern  Kingdom  so  tragic,  though 
governmental  conditions  were  at  times  very  bad  even  in 
the  Kingdom  of  Judah.  The  struggle  for  righteousness 
in  the  Southern  Kingdom  was  more  prolonged  and  more 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS     145 

determined  than  it  was  in  the  Northern  Kingdom.  The 
Kingdom  of  Judah  went  on  for  more  than  a  hundred 
years  after  its  northern  neighbor  had  been  destroyed.  As 
we  read  the  account  of  these  last  years  of  the  Hebrew 
nation  we  are  impressed  with  the  evidence  that  God  was 
seeking  to  give  his  people  every  chance  to  succeed.  He 
is  long-suffering  and  full  of  compassion,  not  desiring  that 
any  should  perish. 

Brass  for  Gold.  An  incident  significant  of  the  decay 
of  national  greatness  which  results  from  transgression 
occurred  in  the  reign  of  Rehoboam.  Having  foolishly 
alienated  the  northern  tribes  and  thus  lost  them  forever 
from  his  realm,  King  Rehoboam.  was  soon  to  feel  the  dis- 
astrous results  of  his  folly.  An  army  came  out  of  Egypt 
and  invaded  his  kingdom.  Without  the  strong  northern 
tribes  to  help  him,  Rehoboam  made  only  a  feeble  defense. 
The  Egyptians  took  Jerusalem  and  plundered  the  Temple. 
They  carried  away  the  magnificant  shields  of  gold  which 
Solomon  had  placed  in  the  Temple.  After  the  Egyptians 
had  gone  the  king  made  shields  of  brass  to  take  the  place 
of  the  golden  shields  the  Egyptians  had  taken.  The 
event  was  significant  of  the  departing  glory  of  the  once 
magnificant  kingdom  which  might  have  gone  on  to  the 
accomplishment  of  great  things  for  God  and  humanity, 
had  its  greatness  been  built  on  justice  for  all  and  right- 
eousness toward  God. 

Kings  Who  Were  Heroic  Reformers.  We  have  seen 
how  the  Kingdom  of  Israel  went  steadily  downward  to 
destruction  as  soon  as  it  cut  loose  from  the  Kingdom  of 
Judah.  On  the  other  hand,  the  struggle  between  good 
and  evil  in  the  Kingdom  of  Judah  ebbed  and  flowed 
through  many  years.  There  were  heroic  kings  like 
Josiah  and  Hezekiah  who  did  a  great  deal  to  bring  the 
nation  back  to  righteousness  and  to  the  worship  of  Je- 
hovah. There  were  other  wicked  kings  who  did  a  great 
deal  to  tear  down  what  the  good  kings  had  built  up  and  to 
lead  the  people  still  farther  astray.  Meager  and  inter- 
mittent righteousness  is  a  poor  ideal  for  a  nation,  and  with 
so  much  effort  to  keep  herself  only  partially  right  with 
God,  the  Hebrew  nation  never  found  much  time  for  the 
sublime  mission  which  the  Almighty  had  in  store  for  her. 


146    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

If  a  person  is  to  be  useful  to  God  he  must  win,  early  in 
life,  a  substantial  victory  over  evil,  the  more  complete 
the  victory  the  better.  He  must  not  live  on  at  a  "  poor 
dying  rate."  He  must  be  thrilled  with  the  consciousness 
of  God's  presence  and  with  the  opportunities  which  God 
bestows  for  service.  The  same  principles  hold  in  the  life 
of  a  nation. 

Judgment  Long  Delayed.  God  was  wonder-fully  patient 
with  this  remnant  of  his  people.  One  would  think  that 
Jerusalem  would  have  fallen  soon  after  Samaria,  but  such 
was  not  the  case.  The  Assyrians  had  its  capture  in  view, 
but  they  never  attained  their  purpose.  A  huge  army  of 
Assyrians  besieged  it  at  one  time,  but  some  dire  calamitv 
befell  them.  The  Bible  says  that  the  "  angel  of  Jehovah 
went  forth,  and  smote  in  the  camp."  The  Assyrian  army 
withdrew.  Before  another  army  of  Assyrians  could  be 
p-athered,  the  Assyrian  monarchy  itself  went  down  before 
the  new  Babylonian  monarchy. 

The  Jewish  people  rightly  believed  that  God  had  deliv- 
ered them.  But  they  did  not  interpret  the  event  in  terms 
of  personal  and  national  righteousness.  They  came  to 
believe  that  Jerusalem  was  inviolable,  that  God  would 
never  allow  his  city  and  his  Temple  to  be  taken  by  for- 
eign foes.  We  may  well  believe  that  God  never  would 
have  allowed  it  if  his  people  had  been  true  to  him  and 
true  to  the  great  task  he  had  given  them.  The  Hebrews 
failed  to  recognize  this  condition  of  the  divine  protection. 
They  failed  to  see  that  God  could  not  and  would  not  con- 
tinue to  protect  them  forever  unless  they  were  true  to 
him  as  their  God. 

Judgment  Draws  Near.  The  Babylonians  continued 
the  conquests  of  the  Assyrians.  Their  armies  invaded 
Palestine  and  Jerusalem  was  compelled  to  capitulate. 
God  had  shown  the  Hebrews  that  the  holy  city  was  not 
inviolable  unless  it  should  be  holy  in  character  as  well  as 
in  name.  The  Jewish  nation  was  allowed  to  govern  its 
own  affairs  and  to  have  its  own  king,  but  it  must  hence- 
forth pay  tribute  to  Babylon.  Even  now  all  might  have 
been  well,  had  the  nation  turned  away  from  her  evil  ways. 
But  there  was  no  improvement.  The  last  two  or  three 
kings  were  among  the  worst  the  nation  ever  had.    They 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS     147 

persecuted  the  prophets  who  tried  to  make  God's  message 
known  and  refused  to  hear  their  advice.  At  last  one  of 
them  raised  the  standard  of  revolt  against  the  Baby- 
lonians. It  was  the  mistake  of  Samaria  over  again.  The 
Hebrews  were  hoping  for  aid  out  of  Egypt,  but  it  never 
came. 

The  Siege  of  Jerusalem;  Destruction  of  the  City  and 
the  Temple.  After  a  fearful  siege  of  two  years,  the  bat- 
tering-rams of  the  Babylonian  armies  made  breaches  in 
the  walls  of  Jerusalem.  The  king  and  some  of  his  officers 
fled  from  the  city  by  a  secret  passageway,  but  were  over- 
taken and  captured.  The  Babylonians  then  tore  down 
the  walls  of  the  city  and  burned  the  beautiful  Temple  of 
Solomon  after  plundering  it  of  all  its  gold  and  silver  ves- 
sels and  ornaments.  They  likewise  burned  the  palace  of 
the  king  and  all  the  houses  of  the  city.  The  people  who 
were  left  alive  after  the  siege  and  the  destruction  of  the 
city  were  carried  away  to  the  cities  of  Babylon. 

Only  a  very  few  of  the  poorest  people  were  left  to  take 
care  of  some  of  the  fields  and  vineyards.  A  few  foreign 
peoples  were  brought  in  to  take  possession  of  the  ruined 
country.  The  beautiful  land  which  God  had  given  to 
Israel  now  lay  ravaged  and  desolate.  Its  cities  rose  on 
hill  and  in  valley,  shattered  ruins  without  inhabitant. 
Among  the  ruins  the  wild  owls  hooted  and  the  jackals 
found  a  home.  The  fields  and  vineyards  grew  up  to 
weeds  and  briars.  The  Hebrew  nation  had  perished ;  the 
Hebrew  race  was  all  but  gone.  Far  away  in  Mesopotamia 
the  scattered  fragments  of  the  people  God  had  chosen  to 
bless  the  world  were  toiling  as  slaves  and  mourning  for 
the  nation  which  had  ceased  to  be. 

"  By  the  rivers  of  Babylon, 
There  we  sat  down,  yea,  we  wept, 
When  we  remembered  Zion. 
Upon  the  willows  in  the  midst  thereof 
We  hanged  up  our  harps." 

— Ps.  137:1,  2. 

God  the  He:i,pe:r  and  De:fe:nde:r  of  RighT£:ous  Nations 

"  Would  not  the  result  have  been  the  same,"  perhaps 
some  one  will  ask,  "  no  matter  what  the  Hebrews  might 


148    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

have  been?  Would  not  the  little  nation  of  the  Jews  in- 
evitably have  fallen  before  the  world  empires  of  the 
East?"  We  have  no  reason  to  believe  that  such  would 
have  been  the  case.  If  the  Hebrews  had  maintained 
justice  and  unity,  it  is  altogether  probable  that  they  could 
have  maintained  their  independence  for  an  indefinite  term 
of  centuries  instead  of  going  down  as  they  did  to  national 
disaster. 

History  is  full  of  illustrations  of  national  triumphs 
more  striking  than  would  have  been  a  triumph  of  the 
Hebrews  over  their  enemies.  In  the  sixteenth  century 
Spain  was  one  of  the  greatest  and  strongest  nations  in 
the  world.  A  little  handful  of  Dutch  people  living  along 
the  delta  of  the  Rhine  in  defense  of  their  faith  dared  to 
revolt  against  the  rule  of  Spain.  Under  the  leadership  of 
their  great  prince,  William  the  Silent,  the  Dutch  people 
entered  upon  the  hopeless-seeming  task  of  winning  their 
freedom.  They  believed  that  God  was  with  them  and 
their  faith  made  them  strong.  They  won,  and  out  of  the 
long  contest  they  waged  with  Spain  there  arose  the  Dutch 
Republic. 

The:  Lesson  Prayer 

O  God,  our  Father,  we  thank  thee  for  thy  goodness  to 
our  nation.  Thou  hast  given  us  freedom  and  opportunity. 
Thou  hast  guided  our  country  through  all  the  years  of 
our  history.  Keep  our  country  from  forgetting  thee. 
Enable  us  to  put  away  every  national  sin  which  would 
cause  us  to  lose  fellowship  with  thee.  Help  us  to  love 
our  country  and  respect  its  flag.  Grant  that  our  country 
may  be  used  in  thy  own  way  to  bless  the  nations  of  the 
earth.  We  ask  in  the  name  of  thy  Son,  our  Saviour. 
Amen. 

The  Lesson  Hymn 

"  My  country,  'tis  of  thee, 
Sweet  land  of  liberty, 

Of  thee  I  sing; 
Land  where  my  fathers  died 
Land  of  the  pilgrim's  pride, 
From  every  mountain  side 

Let  freedom  ring. 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS     149 

"  My  native  country,  thee, 
Land  of  the  noble  free, 

Thy  name  I  love; 
I  love  thy  rocks  and  rills, 
Thy  woods  and  templed  hills; 
My  heart  with  rapture  thrills 

Like  that  above. 

"  Let  music  swell  the  breeze, 
And  ring  from  all  the  trees 

Sweet  freedom's  song: 
Let  mortal  tongues  awake; 
Let  all  that  breathe  partake; 
Let  rocks  their  silence  break, 

The  sound  prolong. 

"  Our  father's  God,  to  thee. 
Author  of  liberty. 

To  thee  we  sing: 
Long  may  our  land  be  bright 
With  freedom's  holy  light; 
Protect  us  by  thy  might, 

Great  God,  our  King." 


EXPRESSIONAL  SESSION 

WHAT  OUR  NATION  MUST  DO  TO  KEEP  RIGHT 
WITH  GOD 

Suggestions  for  the  Leader's  Opening  Address 

We  have  seen  how  the  Hebrew  nation  failed  because  it 
did  not  keep  right  with  God.  The  history  of  Israel  is  an 
object  lesson  to  the  nations  of  the  earth.  We  believe  that 
God  has  a  mission  for  every  nation  in  the  world  and  that 
he  is  seeking"  patiently  to  have  each  nation  fulfill  its  part 
of  his  great  plan,  li  the  nations  of  the  earth  obey  God 
and  honor  him,  they  will  be  strong  and  they  will  be  a 
blessing  to  the  world.  If  they  disobey  God's  laws  and 
set  at  nought  his  commandments,  they  will  bring  great 
loss  to  themselves  and  perhaps  to  other  nations.  If  they 
persistently  disobey  God's  will  they  will  fail  as  the  He- 
brew nation  failed. 

Since  this  is  true  it  is  of  great  importance  that  our 


150    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

nation  should  keep  right  with  God.  If  our  nation  is  to 
keep  right  with  God,  there  are  certain  things  which  must 
be  done.  In  the  first  place,  we  must  keep  the  Church 
strong.  If  the  Church  is  allowed  to  languish,  it  will  not 
be  able  to  teach  the  people  the  truth  about  God  and  about 
brotherhood  and  our  country  will  begin  to  go  astray.  All 
the  activities  of  the  Church  must  be  kept  up  to  a  high 
standard.  The  Church  must  be  given  time  and  means 
for  the  teaching  of  the  Bible  and  there  must  be  teachers 
trained  for  the  work  and  buildings  suitable  for  such 
instruction. 

In  the  second  place,  our  nation  must  keep  a  Christian 
attitude  toward  the  other  nations  of  the  world.  We  must 
treat  them  justly  and  show  them  that  we  are  an  unselfish 
nation.  We  must  build  our  international  policies  on  the 
principles  of  brotherhood  taught  by  Jesus  Christ. 

In  the  third  place,  we  must  maintain  perfect  justice  and 
large  opportunity  for  all  our  own  people.  If  any  large 
part  of  the  people  of  the  nation  suffer  injustice  the  nation 
will  begin  to  decay  within. 

Study  Topics 

1.  Name  Some  Incidents  in  Our  National  History 
Where  God  Seems  to  Have  Helped  Our  Country  in  a 
Special  Way. 

2.  Has  Our  Nation  a  Responsibility  for  the  Welfare  of 
the  Nations  of  South  America? 

3.  What  Can  Our  Nation  Do  for  China? 

4.  Is  It  Possible  to  Practice  the  Golden  Rule  in  Inter- 
national Matters? 

5.  Do  Great  Standing  Armies  and  Great  Navies  Lead 
to  Permanent  Peace  or  Do  They  Tend  to  Lead  the  Na- 
tions Into  War? 

6.  Is  Universal  Peace  Possible  at  This  Period  in  Hu- 
man Development? 

Verses  for  Use  in  the  Meeting 
Isa.  2  :4 ;  9  :7  ;  11 :1-10  ;  Dan.  7  :14  ;  Rev.  11 :15. 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS    151 
Things  to  Be:  Done:  by  Individual  Me:mbers  oi?  thk 

C1.ASS   OR  BY   CoMMITTEE;S 

1.  Find  out  the  cost  of  a  modern  first-class  battleship 
and  compare  its  cost  with  that  of  maintaining  a  great 
university. 

2.  Find  out  whether  there  are  great  forts  guarding 
the  boundary  line  between  the  United  States  and  Canada. 

3.  Find  Scripture  passages  which  predict  universal 
peace. 

4.  Find  out  what  states  allow  the  reading  of  the  Bible 
in  public  schools,  what  states  command  it  to  be  read,  and 
what  states  forbid  it  to  be  read. 

The:  CivASS  Code: 

The  Law  of  the  Higher  Patriotism.  The  highest 
loyalty  to  our  flag  and  the  truest  love  of  our  country  is 
expressed  in  our  desires  and  our  efforts  to  keep  our  na- 
tion obedient  to  God's  laws  and  true  to  his  purposes. 
Therefore : 

1.  We  will,  both  now  and  throughout  all  our  lives,  try 
to  know  what  God's  will  is  for  us  as  a  nation. 

2.  We  will,  when  we  become  voters,  try  to  elect  to 
office  persons  who  honor  God  and  keep  his  command- 
ments. 

3.  We  will  do  all  we  can  to  lead  our  nation  to  main- 
tain an  unselfish  attitude  toward  the  other  nations  of  the 
world. 


11 


CHAPTER  XIII 

THE  HEBREW  NATION'S  SECOND  CHANCE 

WEEK  DAY  SESSION 

NEHEMIAH  REBUILDS  THE  WALLS  OF  JERUSALEM 

Neh.,  chs.  1  to  5 ;  13  :15-22 

For  fifty  years  the  land  of  the  Hebrews  lay  waste. 
The  few  Hebrews  who  had  been  left  in  the  land  with  the 
foreigners  who  had  been  brought  in  by  the  Babylonians 
were  the  only  inhabitants.  The  country  lay  open  to  the 
inroads  of  desert  wanderers  and  its  population  did  not 
increase.  Some  of  the  Hebrews  rose  to  places  of  power 
and  responsibility  in  the  land  of  their  captivity.  With 
increasing  prosperity,  many  of  the  Jewish  people  became 
contented  and  settled  down  in  their  new  homes.  There 
were  others,  however,  who  remembered  Zion.  These 
were  the  idealists  who  could  not  be  satisfied  with  mere 
personal  honor  and  prosperity.  They  longed  for  the 
restoration  of  their  nation  to  its  homeland.  They  still 
had  hopes  that  their  nation  might  become  a  blessing  to 
all  the  nations  of  the  earth. 

A  True  Patriot.  Among  these  Jews  who  had  climbed 
up  to  positions  of  responsibility  through  their  own  indi- 
vidual worth,  was  a  certain  man  named  Nehemiah.  He 
had  become  cupbearer  to  the  Persian  king  in  the  palace 
at  Shushan.  Nehemiah  was  an  honored  official  in  a  great 
empire.  He  was  not,  however,  one  of  those  selfish  people 
who  are  satisfied  with  honor  and  position  for  themselves 
and  who  have  no  very  great  concern  for  other  matters. 
Nehemiah  was  intensely  patriotic.  Pie  longed  for  the 
restoration  of  the  Hebrew  people  to  their  former  home  in 
Palestine.  He  longed  for  a  rebuilt  Jerusalem  and  another 
Temple  where  Jehovah  should  be  worshiped  as  of  old. 
He  hoped  and  prayed  for  a  second  chance  for  the  Hebrew 
nation. 

152 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOI.  LESSONS    153 

One  of  Nehemiah's  friends  returned  to  Shushan  from 
a  visit  to  Palestine  and  told  of  the  miserable  condition  of 
the  few  poverty-stricken  Jews  who  still  dwelt  there.  He 
told  of  the  ruins  of  Jerusalem  and  the  desolate  fields. 
Nehemiah  was  so  much  saddened  by  the  report  that  he 
"  sat  down  and  wept^  and  mourned  certain  days."  His 
prayer  for  the  restoration  of  Israel  is  one  of  the  noblest 
examples  of  prayer  to  be  found  in  the  Old  Testament. 
Read  it  for  yourself  in  the  first  chapter  of  The  Book  of 
Nehemiah. 

The  king  noted  the  sadness  of  his  officer  and  on  learn- 
ing its  cause  gave  him  leave  of  absence  to  go  to  Jerusalem 
and  rebuild  the  walls.  Gathering  a  company  of  people 
who,  like  himself  were  eager  to  see  the  nation  restored, 
Nehemiah  led  them  across  the  deserts  to  Palestine.  Go- 
ing out  alone  at  night  Nehemiah  looked  over  the  ruined 
walls  and  laid  his  plans.  The  next  day  everyone — citi- 
zens, priests,  and  government  officials — were  at  work 
rebuilding  the  walls. 

Doing  a  Great  Work.  There  were  certain  enemies  of 
the  Jews  who  were  not  at  all  pleased  to  see  the  walls  of 
Jerusalem  restored.  They  tried  in  many  different  ways 
to  stop  the  work.  They  ridiculed  the  efforts  of  the  little 
handful  of  Hebrews.  "  What  are  these  feeble  Jews  do- 
ing?" said  one  of  these  opponents  of  the  Hebrews. 
Another  said  that  even  a  fox  could  tear  down  the  kind  of 
wall  the  Jews  were  putting  up.  Nevertheless  these  ene- 
mies grew  more  and  more  uneasy  as  the  work  went  on. 
They  tried  to  entice  Nehemiah  away  for  a  conference, 
but  he  refused  to  go  saying,  "  I  am  doing  a  great  work,  so 
that  I  cannot  come  down."  Then  they  sought  to  stop  the 
work  by  sending  to  the  king  of  Persia  slanderous  reports 
concerning  the  intentions  of  Nehemiah.  Finally  they 
gathered  together  and  prepared  to  go  up  and  stop  the 
work  by  force,  but  the  Jews  labored  with  their  swords 
and  spears  ready  and  they  were  not  molested. 

Most  of  the  people  who  have  done  great  things  in  the 
world  have  had  experiences  like  those  of  Nehemiah  and 
his  friends.  They  have  had  to  stick  to  their  great  and 
difficult  tasks  in  spite  of  persistent  efforts  on  the  part  of 
other  people  to  hinder  them.    They  have  had  to  respond 


154    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

to  many  suggestions  intended  to  hinder  and  delay  with  a 
firm  and  final,  **  I  am  doing  a  great  work,  so  I  cannot 
come  down." 

Checking  Selfishness  and  Greed.  Nehemiah  was  a  man 
of  great  wisdom.  He  knew  that  something  besides  the 
rebuilding  of  Jerusalem  was  necessary  if  the  nation  was 
to  make  good  in  this  second  chance  which  God  was  gra- 
ciously opening  up  before  his  people.  He  knew  that 
certain  sins  had  led  to  Israel's  downfall  and  that  these 
same  sins  must  be  eliminated  from  the  national  life  or 
they  would  bring  ruin  upon  the  nation  just  as  they  had 
done  before.  He  knew  that  one  of  the  chief  causes  for 
the  failure  of  the  Hebrew  nation  lay  in  the  sinful  selfish- 
ness which  had  dared  to  defy  God's  merciful  laws  and  to 
plunder  even  widows  and  children. 

It  was  not  long  before  Nehemiah  discovered  that  the 
old  evils  were  beginning  to  show  themselves  again. 
There  had  been  light  crops  and  some  of  the  poorer  people 
had  to  borrow  money  to  buy  food  and  to  pay  their  taxes. 
There  were  certain  selfish  Jews  who  had  money  to  lend, 
but  they  demanded  high  interest  and  they  required  mort- 
gages on  the  fields  of  their  poorer  brethren.  When  these 
poor  people  were  unable  to  pay,  they  lost  th^ir  lands  and 
even  had  their  children  taken  from  them  and  sold  into 
slavery.  Thus  the  rich  nobles  were  bringing  about  the 
very  conditions  which  had  contributed  so  largely  to  the 
failure  of  the  nation  in  the  days  preceding  the  Captivity. 

Nehemiah  was  no  person  to  truckle  to  the  oppressors 
because  they  were  rich  and  powerful.  He  tells  us  that 
he  was  very  angry  when  he  heard  the  cry  of  the  poor 
and  that  he  went  to  the  nobles  and  rebuked  them  in  no 
uncertain  terms  for  disobeying  God's  laws  and  demand- 
ing interest  for  money  lent  to  their  fellow  countrymen. 
He  said  to  them: 


"The  thing  that  ye  do  is  not  good:  ought  ye  not  to  walk  in 
the  fear  of  our  God,  because  of  the  reproach  of  the  nations  our 
enemies?  ...  I  pray  you,  let  us  leave  oflf  this  usury.  Re- 
store, I  pray  you,  to  them,  even  this  day,  their  fields,  their  vine- 
yards, their  oliveyards,  and  their  houses,  also  the  hundredth  part 
of  the  money,  and  of  the  grain,  the  new  wine,  and  the  oil,  that 
ye  exact  of  them." — Neh.  5:9-11. 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS     155 

The  wealthy  money  lenders  were  quick  to  see  the  kind 
of  man  they  were  dealing  with  and  they  consented  to  fol- 
low out  the  suggestions  which  he  had  made.  Nehemiah 
was  determined  that  each  one  of  these  money  lenders 
should  keep  the  promise  he  had  made.  He  stood  up  be- 
fore the  assembled  people  and  shaking  out  the  lap  of  his 
garment  said,  "  So  God  shake  out  every  man  from  his 
house,  and  from  his  labor,  that  performeth  not  this 
promise;  even  thus  be  he  shaken  out,  and  emptied." 
"  And  all  the  assembly  said,  Amen,  and  praised 
Jehovah." 

Defending  the  Sabbath  and  Restoring  Public  Worship. 
Nehemiah  was  wise  enough  to  know  that  if  the  Hebrew 
nation  was  to  be  restored  the  Hebrew  Church  must  be 
restored  at  the  same  time.  After  the  Temple  had  been 
rebuilt,  Nehemiah  set  himself  to  the  task  of  restoring  the 
services.  He  found  that  while  he  had  been  absent  a  cer- 
tain man  named  Tobiah  had  taken  possession  of  a  part 
of  the  Temple  as  a  dwelling  place.  Nehemiah  was  sore 
grieved  when  he  discovered  this  desecration  of  the  house 
of  God  and  he  had  all  the  "  household  stuff  "  of  Tobiah 
cast  out  and  the  chambers  cleansed. 

It  was  not  long  before  Nehemiah  ran  against  another 
difficulty  in  his  efforts  to  reestablish  the  national  worship. 
He  found  that  the  Hebrew  Church  was  bankrupt.  The 
people  were  not  paying  their  church  dues.  They  had  not 
brought  their  tithes.  Consequently  the  Levites  who  had 
charge  of  the  Temple  services  had  left  their  post  and  had 
gone  out  to  earn  a  livelihood  in  the  fields  as  farm  laborers. 
The  Temple  singers  had  been  compelled  to  do  the  same. 
Nehemiah  demanded  of  the  rulers  and  the  people  that 
they  do  their  duty.  "Why,",  said  he,  *' is  the  house  of 
God  forsaken?"  Under  his  vigorous  leadership  the 
people  rallied  to  the  support  of  the  Temple  service  and 
brought  in  their  tithes. 

Nehemiah  was  to  carry  on  one  other  work  of  reform. 
He  found  that  people  were  paying  little  heed  to  the  keep- 
ing of  the  Sabbath  Day.  He  saw  men  treading  wine 
presses,  bringing  in  sheaves,  and  loading  their  beasts  of 
burden  with  merchandise  on  the  Sabbath.  Besides  the 
Hebrews,  there  were  men  from  Tyre  who  made  the  Sab- 


156    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

bath  a  market  day  on  which  they  sold  fish  and  all  manner 
of  wares.  Nehemiah  again  rebuked  the  rulers  for  this 
laxness  and  caused  the  gates  of  Jerusalem  to  be  closed  at 
sunset  on  Friday  evening,  the  beginning  of  the  Jewish 
Sabbath.  The  merchants  who  had  been  carrying  on  such 
a  lucrative  Sabbath  trade  came  and  lodged  outside  of 
Jerusalem,  for  a  time  or  two.  Then  Nehemiah  told  them 
that  if  they  came  again  he  would  lay  hands  on  them,  and 
they  came  no  more. 

The  Prayer  Life  of  a  Great  and  Busy  Man.  Nehemiah 
is  a  good  example  of  strong,  farseeing,  and  purposeful 
personality.  His  life  is  an  illustration  of  the  power  of 
prayer.  As  he  tells  us  of  his  experiences  in  rebuilding 
the  Jewish  nation  he  records  here  and  there  little  prayers 
of  his  which  throw  a  good  deal  of  light  on  his  character. 
Learning  of  the  great  distress  in  his  native  land,  he  re- 
sponded first  with  fasting  and  prayer.  He  gave  vigorous 
action  to  the  cause,  in  due  time,  but  first  he  prayed. 
Wise  and  vigorous  and  sustained  effort  in  a  noble  cause 
is  nearly  always  the  result  of  prayer. 

Nehemiah  prayed  at  all  sorts  of  times.  When  he  stood 
before  the  king  and  the  king  asked  him  to  name  his  re- 
quest, Nehemiah  says  of  himself:  "So  I  prayed  to  the 
God  of  heaven.  And  I  said  unto  the  king."  It  is  little 
wonder  that  Nehemiah  seemed  always  to  say  the  right 
word  at  the  right  time,  if  he  made  it  his  habit  to  seek 
God's  guidance  before  opening  his  lips  on  matters  of  im- 
portance. When  ridiculed  by  his  enemies,  he  did  not  stop 
to  answer  them.  He  went  on  with  his  work  and  sent  up 
a  brief  petition  to  God  asking  him  to  hear  the  reproaches 
of  the  enemy  and  to  answer  in  his  own  way.  God  was 
evidently  a  very  real  presence  to  Nehemiah.  After  tell- 
ing us  of  his  experiences  with  the  Sabbath  breakers  he 
adds,  '*  Remember  unto  me,  O  my  God,  this  also,  and 
spare  me  according  to  the  greatness  of  thy  lovingkind- 
ness."  He  ends  his  book  with  the  words,  "  Remember 
me,  O  my  God,  for  good.'' 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS     157 

SUNDAY  SESSION 

THE  SECOND  TEMPLE 
Ezra  3:8-13;  6:16-22;  Neh.,  ch.  8 

As  soon  as  the  Hebrews  had  rebuilt  the  walls  of  Jeru- 
salem, they  began  to  clear  away  the  rubbish  which 
marked  the  spot  where  Solomon's  Temple  had  stood. 
The  Temple  was  very  important  in  the  Jewish  religion. 
All  the  people  of  the  nation  who  could  do  so  gathered 
there  on  the  great  feast  days.  The  Hebrews  believed 
that  within  the  Holy  of  Holies,  which  was  a  part  of  the 
Temple,  God  dwelt  in  a  peculiar  way.  So  as  soon  as  the 
little  band  of  returned  Hebrews  had  secured  a  measure 
of  safety  by  rebuilding  the  walls  of  their  city,  they 
turned  next  to  the  reconstruction  of  the  Temple. 

Laying  the  Foundations.  As  soon  as  the  ground  was 
cleared  of  the  burned  debris  of  the  former  Temple,  the 
foundations  of  the  new  structure  were  laid.  It  was  made 
an  occasion  of  solemn  worship.  The  priests  were  there 
in  their  robes  of  office  with  their  trumpets  and  the 
Levites  with  cym.bals. 


"And  they  sang  one  to  another  in  praising  and  giving  thanks 
unto  Jehovah,  saying,  For  he  is  good,  for  his  lovingkindness 
endureth  for  ever  toward  Israel.  And  all  the  people  shouted 
with  a  gr^at  shout,  when  they  praised  Jehovah,  because  the 
foundation  of  the  house  of  Jehovah  was  laid." — Ezra  3:11. 


The  ceremony  was  not  unmixed  with  sorrow,  however, 
for  there  were  present  a  good  many  old  people  who  re- 
membered the  magnificent  Temple  of  Solomon  and  to 
whom  this  second  Temple  seemed  small  and  poor  in  com- 
parison. The  beginning  of  this  second  Temple  brought 
to  the  minds  of  these  aged  people  that  dreadful  day  fifty 
years  before  when  Solomon's  great  Temple  had  been 
sacked  and  burned  by  the  Babylonian  army,  and  their 
weeping  and  lamentations  were  mingled  with  the  joyful 
shouts  of  the  younger  generation  who  had  been  born  in 
Babylon  and  to  whom  Solomon's  Temple  was  known 
only  in  the  stories  they  had  heard  their  parents  tell. 


158    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

Overcoming  Hindrances.  The  building  of  the  Temple, 
like  the  building  of  the  walls,  was  not  to  be  accomplished 
without  the  overcoming  of  many  hindrances.  Certain  of 
the  people  of  the  land  who  were  the  descendants  of  the 
settlers  brought  in  by  the  Babylonians  offered  their  serv- 
ices to  the  Jews  in  the  building  of  the  Temple,  but  the 
Jews  refused  their  aid.  Then  these  people  wrote  to  the 
king  of  Persia  that  the  Jews  were  rebuilding  their  city 
and  were  planning  to  revolt  against  the  government  of 
the  king.  The  statement  was  entirely  without  founda- 
tion but  it  accomplished  its  purpose.  The  king  caused  a 
search  of  the  historical  records  to  be  made  and  it  was 
found  that  Jerusalem  had,  indeed,  once  been  a  strong  city 
and  that  it  had  fought  valiantly  against  the  armies  which 
came  to  put  it  under  tribute  to  the  empires  of  the  East. 
So  the  Persian  king  ordered  that  the  building  of  the 
Temple  and  the  strengthening  of  the  walls  should  cease. 
After  a  long  delay  the  Hebrews  succeeded  in  getting  their 
side  of  the  matter  before  the  king  of  Persia.  They  told 
him  of  the  decree  which  Cyrus  had  made,  permitting  the 
rebuilding  of  the  city  and  the  Temple.  The  Persian  king 
again  searched  his  records  and  found  that  this  was  true, 
so  he  gave  permission  for  the  work  to  continue. 

The  Temple  Dedicated.  So  the  work  of  building  the 
Temple  was  resumed  and  when  the  structure  was  com- 
pleted a  dedicatory  service  was  held.  It  was  not  in  any 
way  such  a  magnificent  affair  as  was  the  dedication  of 
the  first  Temple,  but  the  people  were  nevertheless  filled 
with  joy  to  think  that  at  last  they  had  a  city  and  a  Temple 
of  their  own.  Through  the  prophet  Haggai  God  spoke 
messages  of  encouragement  to  Zerubbabel,  the  governor 
of  Jerusalem,  to  Joshua,  the  high  priest,  and  to  all  the 
people. 

"Yet  now  be  strong,  O  Zerubbabel,  saith  Jehovah;  and  be 
strong,  O  Joshua,  son  of  Jehozadak,  the  high  priest;  and  be 
strong,  all  ye  people  of  the  land,  saith  Jehovah,  and  work:  for 
I  am  with  you,  saith  Jehovah  of  hosts." — Hag.  2:4. 

Ezra's  Bible  School.  Nehemiah  had  a  very  capable 
helper  named  Ezra.  Ezra  was  a  scribe,  a  man  whose 
occupation  was  writing.     Not  many  of  the  books  of  the 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS     159 

Bible  had  been  written  at  that  time.  Probably  most  of 
Ezra's  work  was  the  making  of  copies  of  the  Bible  as  it 
then  existed.  One  day  after  the  returned  Hebrews  were 
settled  in  their  new  homes  in  the  old  land  of  their  fathers, 
a  great  crowd  of  people  gathered  together  at  one  of  the 
gates  of  Jerusalem.  They  had  come  to  ask  Ezra  to  read 
the  Bible  to  them.  They  constructed  a  pulpit  of  wood 
and  Ezra  stood  upon  this  pulpit  while  he  read.  The 
language  which  the  people  spoke  in  the  time  of  Ezra  had 
become  somewhat  different  from  the  language  in  which 
the  Bible  had  been  written,  so  that  it  was  necessary  to 
have  the  Levites  and  others  act  as  teachers  and  inter- 
preters. These  people  explained  the  words  of  the  Bible, 
sentence  by  sentence,  as  Ezra  read.  It  was  a  great 
Bible  school  and  there  was  service  and  praise  as  well 
as  Bible  study  for  we  are  told  that 

"  Ezra  blessed  Jehovah,  the  great  God.  And  all  the  people  an- 
swered, Amen,  Amen,  with  the  lifting  up  of  their  hands:  and 
they  bowed  their  heads,  and  worshipped  Jehovah  with  their  faces 
to  the  ground." — Neh.  8:6. 

As  they  read  on  through  the  Bible  they  found  that 
Moses  had  commanded  the  people  of  Israel  to  dwell  in 
booths  in  the  feast  of  the  seventh  month,  so  they  pro- 
ceeded to  carry  out  the  commandment  forthwith.  The 
festival  lasted  eight  days  and  much  of  the  time  was  spent 
in  the  study  of  the  Bible.  This  great  eight-day  service 
of  Bible  study  was  a  very  hopeful  sign.  If  the  people 
could  be  kept  as  eager  for  Bible  truth  as  they  seemed  to 
be  under  Ezra's  leadership,  the  danger  of  their  falling 
away  into  idolatry  and  worldliness  would  be  very  greatly 
reduced. 

What  the  Sunday  SchooIv  Did  for  Poor  Valley 

Away  up  in  one  of  the  roughest  mountain  sections  of 
our  southern  states  is  a  little  valley  among  the  rocky 
hills.  Here  settled  more  than  a  century  ago  some  sturdy 
people  from  the  north  of  Ireland.  The  pioneers  who 
came  into  this  little  valley  were  intelligent  and  God- 
fearing folk  as  most  of  the  Scotch-Irish  people  are.    They 


160    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

had  a  hard  struggle  in  the  wilderness.  The  soil  was  poor 
and  it  was  miles  and  miles  to  the  nearest  railroad.  The 
settlers  kept  hoping  and  expecting  that  a  railroad  would 
be  built  into  their  part  of  the  country,  but  none  came. 
They  toiled  on  year  after  year  and  cleared  away  the  trees 
and  rocks  from  their  little  fields.  They  were  not  able 
to  have  much  school,  only  a  very  few  weeks  in  winter. 
They  had  no  church  or  preaching  service  or  Sunday 
school.  Their  children  grew  up  without  knowing  much 
about  the  Bible.  Some  could  not  even  read  or  write. 
After  a  good  many  years  all  the  pioneers  were  gone. 
The  number  of  people  who  could  read  grew  less  and  less. 
Under  such  conditions  the  moral  and  spiritual  life  of 
any  people  is  bound  to  deteriorate.  This  little  valley  be- 
came a  place  of  lawlessness.  There  were  bad  men  back 
in  the  hills  who  made  liquor  and  brought  it  into  the  valley 
to  trade  for  corn  and  vegetables.  As  a  result  many  of 
the  men  and  boys  of  the  valley  became  drunkards.  The 
Sabbath  was  hardly  kept  at  all  in  that  mountain  valley. 
The  people  made  it  a  day  for  horse  racing  and  carousing. 
Sunday  night  there  was  a  free-for-all  dance  which  often 
ended  in  a  free-for-all  fight.  Dreadful  feuds,  or  family 
wars,  broke  out  and  terrible  crimes  were  committed  in 
the  spirit  of  revengeful  hatred.  Without  the  Bible,  with- 
out schools,  and  without  any  knowledge  of  God,  Poor 
Valley  became  a  place  of  iniquity  and  violence  in  which 
it  was  almost  impossible  for  a  boy  or  a  girl  to  grow  up 
into  worthy  manhood  or  womanhood.  The  fame  of  the 
place  spread  far  and  wide.  It  was  known  as  one  of  the 
worst  places  in  the  southern  mountains. 

One  day  a  stranger  made  his  way  into  the  mountain 
valley.  He  was  seen  along  the  rocky  lanes  talking  with 
the  ragged  and  barefooted  children.  He  gave  them  little 
cards  on  which  were  Bible  pictures  and  Bible  verses.  He 
invited  them  to  come  to  the  little  tumble-down  school- 
house  the  following  Sunday.  He  asked  them  to  tell  their 
parents  that  there  was  going  to  be  a  Sunday  school. 

On  Sunday  morning  the  little  shack  was  packed.  The 
missionary  conducted  Sunday  school  and  held  a  religious 
service.  It  was  the  first  meeting  many  of  the  people  had 
ever   attended.     They   sat   in   perfect   silence   while   the 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS    161 

young  man  told  them  some  of  the  simple  truths  of  the 
gospel  of  Jesus.  A  Sunday  school  was  organized  and 
che  missionary  was  invited  to  remain  for  a  two-weeks' 
series  of  meetings. 

That  visit  of  the  Sunday-school  missionary  was  the 
beginning  of  a  new  age  for  Poor  Valley.  The  people 
responded  to  the  gospel  message  as  if  they  were  hungry 
for  the  spiritual  truths  their  fathers  had  known  so 
long  ago  but  to  which  they  themselves  had  so  long  been 
strangers.  A  church  was  organized  and  in  time  a  neat 
little  church  building  was  erected.  The  old  school- 
house  disappeared  and  a  better  building  took  its  place. 
Boys  and  girls  began  to  get  a  new  view  of  life  and  its 
possibilities.  They  found  in  the  Sunday-school  mis- 
sionary a  counselor  and  friend.  Many  of  them  became 
ambitious  to  secure  an  education.  The  missionary  found 
places  for  them  in  the  great  outside  world  where  they 
could  work  their  way  through  high  school  and  college. 
Poor  Valley,  which  had  sent  many  boys  and  some  girls 
to  prison,  began  to  send  young  men  into  the  ministry  and 
young  women  into  college  professorships.  Poor  Valley 
lost  its  reputation  as  the  worst  community  in  the  state 
and  gained  a  reputation  as  a  progressive  and  God-fearing 
community.  The  reformation  had  been  rapid,  far-reach- 
ing, and  permanent.  It  had  been  accomplished  through 
the  earnest  life  and  steadfast  efforts  of  one  of  God's 
humble  workmen  together  with  the  power  of  the  Word, 
whose  entrance  "  giveth  light." 

The  Lesson  Prayer 

We  thank  thee,  O  Father,  for  the  Bible  with  its  lessons 
of  truth.  We  thank  thee  that  there  have  been  men  and 
women  in  every  century  who  have  given  themselves  to 
the  teaching  ministry  of  the  Church.  We  thank  thee  for 
the  Sunday  school  and  the  other  services  of  the  Church. 
Help  us  to  be  diligent  in  our  study  of  the  Bible  that  we 
may  know  more  perfectly  thy  will  and  thy  nature.  As 
we  come  to  know  thy  Word  more  perfectly,  we  would 
be  of  use  to  thee  in  making  it  known,  in  turn,  to  others. 
Amen. 


162    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 
The  Lesson  Hymn 

"  By  cool  Siloam's  shady  rill 
How  sweet  the  lily  grows! 
How  sweet  the  breath  beneath  the  hill 
Of  Sharon's  dewy  rose! 

"  Lo,  such  the  child  whose  early  feet 
The  paths  of  peace  have  trod; 
Whose  secret  heart,  with  influence  sweet, 
Is  upward  drawn  to  God. 


"  O  thou,  whose  infant  feet  were  found 
Within  thy  Father's  shrine, 
Whose  years  with  changeless  virtue  crowned, 
Were  all  alike  divine; 

"  Dependent  on  thy  bounteous  breath. 
We  seek  thy  grace  alone 
In  childhood,  manhood,  age,  and  death, 
To  keep  us  still  thine  own." 


EXPRESSIONAL  SESSION 

EDUCATIONAL  AGENCIES  OF  THE  CHURCH 

Suggestions  for  the  Leader's  Opening  Address 

We  live  in  a  time  when  the  Church  is  giving  more 
attention  to  religious  education  than  has  been  the  case  for 
many  years.  New  agencies  are  being  created  for  the  edu- 
cational task  of  the  Church.  We  shall  learn  in  this  meet- 
ing about  some  of  these  new  undertakings  in  religious 
education.  It  is  a  good  thing  that  the  Church  is  becoming 
aware  of  the  great  importance  of  her  teaching  task.  Most 
of  the  people  who  join  the  Church  are  members  of  the 
Sunday  school  before  they  join  the  Church.  It  has  been 
estimated  that  this  is  true  of  eighty-seven  per  cent  of  the 
people  who  join  the  Church.  It  seems  fair  to  conclude 
that  many  of  these  people  were  brought  to  the  decision 
for  Christ  and  the  Church  through  the  work  of  the  Sun- 
day school.  The  most  permanent  additions  to  the  Church 
come  through  the  educational  activities,  Sunday  school, 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS     163 

Christian  Endeavor  society,  and  pastor's  communicant 
class.  It  seems  also  true  that  the  most  valuable  additions 
to  the  Church  are  brought  in  through  the  agencies  above 
named. 

Study  Topics 

1.  What  Are  Vacation  Bible  Schools? 

2.  What  Are  Week-Day  Church  Schools? 

3.  Why  Is  There  Need  for  the  Two  Types  of  Church 
Schools  Just  Mentioned? 

4.  Hov^  Many  Children  and  Young  People  in  America 
Are  in  Sunday  School? 

5.  Hov^  Many  Are  Not  Receiving  Any  Religious  In- 
struction ? 

6.  What  Recent  Improvements  Have  Been  Made  in 
Sunday  Schools? 

7.  What  Courses  of  Study  Are  Used  in  Presbyterian 
Sunday  Schools? 

8.  What  Educational  Value  Has  the  Work  of  the  Boy 
Scouts  and  Girl  Scouts? 

V£:rsks  for  Use:  in  the:  Me:e:ting 

Deut.  6:6,  7;  Prov.  22:6;  John  3:2;  Acts  5:42;  Col. 
3:16;  I  Tim.  4:11. 

CoMMiTTKE  TO  Be;  Appointed 

Religious  Education  Committee,  to  consider  ways  in 
which  religious  education  may  be  made  more  adequate 
in  our  community  (how  to  secure  more  time,  better  equip- 
ment, more  regular  attendance). 

Things  to  Be;  Done:  by  Individuai,  Members  oe  the: 
Class  or  by  Committe:e:s 

1.  Find  out  about  the  "  North  Dakota  Plan  "  of  re- 
ligious education. 

2.  Find  out  about  the  "  Colorado  Plan." 

3.  Find  out  about  the  "  Gary  Plan." 


164       INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

4.  What  is  a  standard  Sunday  school  in  the  Presby- 
terian Church? 

5.  What  are  some  good  books  on  Sunday-school 
methods  and  organization? 

The:  Class  Code: 

The  Law  of  Church  School  Loyalty.  We  believe  that 
the  teaching  of  the  Bible  is  one  of  the  most  important 
tasks  of  the  Christian  Church  and  that  we  ought  to  re- 
spect the  school  of  the  Church.    Therefore : 

1.  We  will  be  loyal  to  our  church-school  classmates 
and  to  our  church-school  teachers. 

2.  We  will  be  loyal  to  our  church  school  and  our 
church-school  class. 

3.  We  will  be  loyal  to  our  own  denomination  and  to 
the  great  universal  Church  of  which  it  is  a  part. 


SECTION  IV 
THE  GOD  THE  HEBREW  PROPHETS  KNEW 


Chaptkr  XIV. 

Chapter  XV. 

Chapter  XVI. 

Chapter  XVIL 

Chapter  XVIII. 

Chapter  XIX. 

Chapter  XX. 

Chapter  XXI. 


Elijah  Proclaims  the  Justice  oe 
Jehovah. 

The  Shepherd  oe  Tekoa  Foreteees 
THE  Coming  Wrath  oe  God. 

Micah's  Message  Concerning  Social 
Righteousness. 

HosEA  Preaches  God's  Compassionate 
Love. 

Jeremiah,  Heroic  Prophet  oe  De- 
clining JUDAH. 

Previsions  oe  the  Golden  Age. 

The  Coming  Saviour. 

The  Invincible  Purposes  of  God. 


"  Thus  saith  Jehovah,  thy  Redeemer,  the  Holy  One  of 
Israel :  I  am  Jehovah  thy  God,  who  teacheth  thee  to 
profit,  who  leadeth  thee  by  the  way  that  thou  shouldest 
go.  Oh  that  thou  hadst  hearkened  to  my  command- 
ments !  then  had  thy  peace  been  as  a  river,  and  thy  right- 
eousness as  the  waves  of  the  sea." — Isa.  48  :17,  18. 

"  How  shall  I  give  thee  up,  Ephraim?  how  shall  I  cast 
thee  off,  Israel?  how  shall  I  make  thee  as  Admah?  how 
shall  I  set  thee  as  Zeboiim?  my  heart  is  turned  within  me, 
my  compassions  are  kindled  together.  I  will  not  execute 
the  fierceness  of  mine  anger,  I  will  not  return  to  destroy 
Ephraim :  for  I  am  God,  and  not  man ;  the  Holy  One  in 
the  midst  of  thee;  and  I  will  not  come  in  wrath." — 
Hos.  11:8,  9. 


CHAPTER  XIV 

ELIJAH  PROCLAIMS  THE  JUSTICE  OF 
JEHOVAH 

WEEK  DAY  SESSION 

THE  KINGLY  MAN  BEFORE  THE  UNMANLY  KING 
I  Kings,  chs.  17,  18,  21 

In  the  midst  of  the  stirring  events  of  Jewish  history 
appeared  a  remarkable  group  of  men  who  are  known  ;is 
the  Hebrew  prophets.  They  were  men  who  were  able 
with  God's  help  to  read  aright  the  conditions  of  the  times, 
who  could  see  into  the  future  and  thus  foretell  the  in- 
evitable results  of  the  conflict  between  good  and  evil 
going  on  all  about  them.  They  were  men  who  lived  in 
close  fellowship  with  God  and  through  whom  God  could 
speak  to  the  world.  Heroically  courageous  and  pro- 
foundly unselfish,  they  battled  to  maintain  justice  in  the 
midst  of  the  spiritually  decadent  nation.  History  no- 
where presents  another  such  group  of  heroes,  hence  they 
are  well  worth  our  careful  study.  We  shall  not  be  able 
to  study  the  lives  and  teachings  of  all  the  Hebrew 
prophets,  but  turning  back  a  little  from  our  story  of  the 
Hebrew  nation,  we  shall  consider  a  few  of  these  great 
men  who  battled  for  God  and  truth  in  the  midst  of  evil 
times. 

Naboth's  Vineyard.  Some  years  after  the  division  of 
the  Hebrew  kingdom,  a  certain  man  named  Ahab  became 
king  of  Israel.  He  had  married  a  princess  of  Sidon 
named  Jezebel,  who  was  a  worshiper  of  Baal.  Ahab  had 
a  palace  at  Jezreel.  Near  this  palace  was  a  vineyard  be- 
longing to  an  old-fashioned  country  gentleman  named 
Naboth.  Ahab  was  anxious  to  secure  Naboth's  vineyard 
that  he  might  attach  the  grounds  to  his  palace  and  make 
it  a  garden  of  flowers  and  shrubs,  so  he  went  to  Naboth 
and  offered  to  buy  the  vineyard,  or  to  give  him  a  better 

167 

12 


168     INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

vineyard  in  some  other  place.  Naboth  refused  either  to 
sell  or  to  exchange.  He  had  a  sentimental  attachment  to 
that  bit  of  ground  which  had  been  in  his  family  for  gen- 
erations, perhaps  ever  since  the  land  was  divided  under 
Joshua.  He  probably  felt  that  it  would  be  disobeying 
God's  commandments  to  sell  the  vineyard  to  Ahab  for- 
ever since  God  had  given  the  Hebrews  a  law  forbidding 
the  selling  of  their  lands  for  more  than  fifty  years. 
This  law  had  evidently  become  a  dead  letter;  neverthe- 
less Naboth  evidently  believed  that  he  was  still  bound 
by  it,  no  matter  what  others  might  do.  To  sell  the  vine- 
yard would  mean  that  it  should  pass  out  of  the  hands  of 
the  Naboth  family  forever,  and  this  loyal  Hebrew  refused 
thus  to  make  God's  laws  of  no  effect  and  to  take  from  his 
descendants  that  which  under  God's  commandments  be- 
longed to  them.  So  Naboth  answered  Ahab  with  a  firm, 
but  final,  "  Jehovah  forbid  it  me,  that  I  should  give  the 
inheritance  of  my  fathers  unto  thee." 

Ahab  was  very  angry  at  Naboth's  answer.  He  went 
home  and  sulked  like  a  spoiled  child.  He  lay  down  on 
his  bed,  turned  his  face  to  the  wall,  and  refused  to  eat. 
Jezebel  came  in  and  asked  her  husband  what  was  the 
matter  wdth  him  and  he  told  her  about  Naboth  and  the 
vineyard.  This  pagan  queen  came  from  a  despotic  family 
whose  will  was  law  in  Sidon.  With  haughty  scorn  she 
said  to  Ahab,  "  Dost  thou  now  govern  the  kingdom  of 
Israel?  arise  and  eat  bread,  and  let  thy  heart  be  merry: 
I  will  give  thee  the  vineyard  of  Naboth." 

Then  the  wicked  queen  wrote  letters  and  signed  them 
with  Ahab's  name  and  sealed  them  with  his  seal.  She 
sent  the  letters  to  the  elders  and  nobles  of  the  city.  In 
these  letters  she  told  these  officers  of  the  Jewish  Church 
and  nation  to  charge  Naboth  with  treason  and  blasphemy. 
They  were  to  hire  two  witnesses  to  swear  that  Naboth 
had  cursed  God  and  the  king,  then  they  were  to  take  him 
out  and  stone  him  to  death.  The  vineyard  would  then 
belong  to  Ahab  since  the  property  of  people  executed  for 
treason  came  into  the  possession  of  the  crown. 

The  program  was  carried  out  according  to  the  queen's 
commands.  Naboth  was  brought  before  a  court  of  the 
people  and  rulers.     Two  hired  witnesses  swore  that  he 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS     169 

had  cursed  God  and  the  king.  Then  he  was  dragged  out 
of  the  city  and  stoned  to  death. 

Then  the  cowardly  and  wicked  nobles  and  elders  sent 
word  to  the  queen  saying,  **  Naboth  is  stoned,  and  is 
dead."  Much  as  we  may  despise  this  weak  king  and  his 
cruel  wife,  we  must  despise  still  more  those  craven- 
hearted  elders  and  nobles  whose  duty  it  was  to  establish 
justice  in  the  land^  but  who,  for  their  own  safety  and  that 
they  might  hold  their  offices  and  keep  in  favor  with  the 
king  and  his  evil  wife,  so  shamefully  wronged  their  fel- 
low townsman.  One  of  the  worst  effects  of  tyranny  is  the 
fact  that  it  raises  up  just  such  people  as  these  nobles  and 
elders  of  Jezreel :  people  who  truckle  and  crawl  to  the 
tyrants  in  power  and  who  are  more  cruel  toward  their 
fellow  countrymen  than  the  tyrants  themselves. 

On  receiving  word  from  her  cowardly  accomplices  in 
the  murder  of  Naboth,  Jezebel  came  to  Ahab  and  said, 
"  Arise,  take  possession  of  the  vineyard  of  Naboth  the 
Jezreelite,  which  he  refused  to  give  thee  for  money ;  for 
Naboth  is  not  alive,  but  dead."  And  Ahab  arose  and 
went  down  to  take  possession  of  the  vineyard. 

Elijah,  the  Tishbite,  Goes  to  Meet  Ahab.  Was  there 
no  one  in  all  the  land  of  Israel  to  raise  a  protest  against 
such  high-handed  violence?  Were  all  the  thousands  of 
God's  people  so  cowardly  that  not  one  dared  to  face  the 
wicked  king  and  denounce  the  crime?  No,  there  was  one. 
He  was  a  rough-clad  man  from  the  highlands  of  Gilead. 
He  did  not  dress  in  the  silken  garments  and  the  latest 
styles  of  the  time.  He  was  a  brave-souled  highlander,  a 
backwoodsman  who  dared  to  do  what  God  told  him  to  do. 
God  told  Elijah  to  go  down  and  meet  Ahab  in  the  vine- 
yard of  Naboth  and  to  tell  the  king  of  the  punishment 
which  was  coming  on  him  and  his  queen  and  all  his  house. 
Elijah  went.  He  came  face  to  face  with  Ahab  in  the 
vineyard.  The  unmanly  king  and  the  kingly  man  faced 
one  another.  Back  of  the  king  lay  all  the  power  of  the 
nation,  but  his  guilty  heart  made  him  afraid.  Elijah  was 
only  a  lone  citizen  of  the  nation,  with  no  following  at  all, 
but  righteous  indignation  and  a  good  conscience  made 
him  as  bold  as  a  lion.  The  king  quailed  and  could  not 
meet  the  prophet's  steady  gaze.     He  stammered  out  a 


170    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

confused  query,  *'  Hast  thou  found  me,  O  mine  enemy?  " 
"  I  have  found  thee,"  the  prophet  cahiily  replied,  then  he 
proceeded  to  declare  the  awful  doom  which  God  had 
spoken  against  Ahab  and  his  house.  Ahab  fled  from  the 
vineyard  to  rend  his  clothes  and  to  fast  and  to  lay  in 
sackcloth  before  the  God  of  his  fathers  whom  he  had  so 
grievously  oiTended.  Because  of  Ahab's  repentance,  God 
lightened  somewhat  the  punishment  of  his  sins. 

The  Reformation  of  the  Nation  Under  Elijah's  Leader- 
ship. Elijah's  sudden  appearance  to  rebuke  Ahab  for 
taking  the  vineyard  of  Naboth  was  not  the  prophet's  first 
appearance  in  Israel.  He  was  known  as  the  champion 
of  Jehovah,  and  he  had  no  less  purpose  than  the  banish- 
ment of  Baal  worship  and  idolatry  and  the  winning  of 
the  nation  back  to  the  service  of  the  true  God.  Some- 
time before  the  incident  of  Naboth's  vineyard  a  terrible 
three-years'  drought  had  come  upon  the  country.  Elijah 
had  foretold  its  coming  and  he  told  the  people  that  it  was 
a  punishment  which  God  had  sent  because  they  had  for- 
saken Jehovah  and  had  turned  to  the  worship  of  idols. 
A  great  gathering  of  the  Hebrews  was  held  on  the  sum- 
mit of  Mount  Carmel  to  determine  whether  Jehovah,  or 
the  idol  Baal,  should  be  the  God  of  Israel.  The  God 
which  answered  by  fire  was  to  be  the  God  of  th-^  nation. 
You  have  heard  the  story  of  how  the  prophets  of  Baal 
called  upon  their  god  but  received  no  answer  and  how 
Elijah's  prayer  was  answered  by  the  fire  from  heaven 
which  consumed  his  offering.  The  people,  at  the  sight 
of  the  miraculous  fire  from  heaven,  fell  on  their  faces  and 
cried,  "  Jehovah,  he  is  God ;  Jehovah,  he  is  God."  Under 
the  leadership  of  Elijah  the  people  seized  the  prophets  of 
Baal,  brought  them  down  to  the  brook  Kishon  and  slew 
them  there. 

That  very  day  as  Elijah  bowed  down  in  prayer  on  the 
summit  of  Mount  Carmel,  a  cloud  the  size  of  a  man's 
hand  rose  out  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea.  It  grew  until 
the  heavens  became  black  with  clouds  and  wind  and  there 
was  a  great  rain.  The  long  drought  was  ended.  It  also 
seemed  that  the  long  rule  of  idolatry  in  Israel  was  about 
to  pass  away.  The  spirit  of  Elijah  seemed  to  be  exalted 
with  a  sense  of  triumph.    As  King  Ahab  fled  before  the 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS     171 

advancing  storm  and  drove  to  his  palace  in  Jezreel, 
Elijah,  swift-footed  mountaineer  that  he  was,  girded  up 
his  loins,  and  ran  before  Ahab  to  the  entrance  of  Jezreel. 
The  prophet  was  soon  to  learn,  however,  that  great  spir- 
itual reforms  are  not  accomplished  in  a  moment  of  time 
and  that  force  has  only  a  minor  part  in  their  ultimate 
triumph. 

The:  God  of  Hwjah  and  the;  God  of  JezkbdIv 

The  name  "  Elijah  "  means  "  My  God  is  Jehovah."  It 
must  have  been  a  godly  father  and  mother  who  decided 
upon  that  name  for  their  baby  boy  up  there  on  the  high- 
lands of  Gilead  some  hundreds  of  years  before  the  be- 
ginning of  the  Christian  era.  Parents  who  would  choose 
such  a  name  were  the  kind  of  parents  to  brine  up  their 
child  to  honor  God.  How  well  Elijah  fulfilled  the 
prophecy  of  his  name !  It  was  because  of  the  fact  that 
his  God  was  Jehovah  that  he  dared  to  stand  alone  against 
the  wickedness  of  his  day.  The  life  of  such  a  man  reveals 
God.  Elijah  proclaimed  Jehovah  to  be  a  God  of  right- 
eousness and  justice. 

Jezebel  was  the  daughter  of  Ethbaal  which  means 
"  with  Baal."  Jezebel  grew  up  to  be  a  cruel  and  wicked 
woman  because  the  god  she  worshiped  was  no  God,  but 
a  creation  of  the  minds  of  evil  people.  Those  who  wor- 
shiped Baal  thought  of  him  as  a  cruel,  immoral,  and  char- 
acterless deity,  and  they  became  like  the  god  they  wor- 
shiped. 


SUNDAY  SESSION 

THE  VALLEY  OF  DESPOND  AND  THE  "STILL 
SMALL  VOICE" 

I  Kings,  ch.  19 
As  we  continue  the  story  of  Elijah  we  are  conscious 
of  a  feeling  of  surprise.     We  find  him  saying  and  doing 
things  very  unlike  the   things  he   said   and   did   in   our 


172    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

previous  acquaintance  with  him.  The  story  is  entirely 
true  to  human  nature,  however.  Elijah  was  a  man  of 
great  intensity  of  feeling  and  action.  Such  people  are  apt 
to  have  exactly  such  experiences  as  we  find  recorded  of 
Elijah.  Consumed  by  the  fire  of  their  enthusiasm  they 
wear  themselves  out  and  sink  into  the  depths  of 
despondency. 

Jezebel's  Threat  and  Elijah's  Flight.  When  word 
reached  Jezebel  that  the  prophets  of  Baal  had  been  slain, 
she  sent  word  to  Elijah,  saying,  "  So  let  the  gods  do  to 
me,  and  more  also,  if  I  make  not  thy  life  as  the  life  of  one 
of  them  by  to-morrow  about  this  time."  Whether  Jezebel 
could  or  could  not  have  made  her  threat  good,  we  do  not 
know.  That  she  should  have  made  the  threat,  in  any 
case,  is  not  surprising.  But  it  is  surprising  to  be  told 
that  the  heroic  prophet  who  had  defied  Ahab  arose  and 
fled.  He  ran  away  from  his  unfinished  task  because  of  a 
woman's  threat.  It  is  probable  that  Elijah  was  overcome 
by  a  sudden  fit  of  despondency.  He  must  have  been  tired 
physically  almost  to  the  verge  of  collapse.  The  days  had 
been  full  of  strenuousness.  He  had  been  under  terrific 
strain.  Only  a  few  hours  before  he  had  run  all  the  way 
from  Carmel  to  Jezreel,  twenty  miles  or  more.  When 
we  are  in  such  an  exhausted  condition  as  Elijah  must 
have  been  in,  molehills  look  like  mountains  to  us.  Sud- 
den despair  seized  the  great  prophet.  Perhaps  the  peril 
was  very  real  and  deadly ;  we  have  no  means  of  knowing. 
Perhaps  he  realized  that  the  reformation  had  not  really 
reached  the  hearts  of  the  people.  At  all  events,  he  ran. 
He  went  far  into  the  wilderness  and  lay  down  under  a 
juniper  tree  and  wished  that  he  might  die.  He  said,  **  It 
is  enough ;  now,  O  Jehovah,  take  away  my  life ;  for  I  am 
not  better  than  my  fathers."  God  did  not  take  away  the 
life  of  his  tired  and  discouraged  servant,  but  gave  him 
instead  the  blessing  of  refreshing  sleep.  Elijah  awoke 
from  prolonged  slumber  to  eat  and  drink  and  to  lie  down 
to  sleep  again. 

Continuing  his  flight  through  the  deserts,  Elijah  came 
to  Mount  Horeb,  the  great  mountain  where  God  had 
given  the  Law  to  the  children  of  Israel.  Here  he  found  a 
hiding  place  in  a  cave.    After  living  in  the  cave  of  Horeb 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS     173 

for  some  time  Elijah  became  conscious  that  God  was 
speaking  to  him  as  he  had  done  of  old.  He  was  saying, 
''What  doest  thou  here,  Elijah?"  It  was  as  if  God 
would  inquire  why  the  prophet  was  away  out  here  dwell- 
ing in  the  caves  of  a  desert  mountain ;  why  was  he  not 
in  the  Kingdom  of  Israel  attending  to  the  task  God  had 
given  him  to  do? 

God  told  Elijah  to  go  out  and  stand  upon  the  mountain 
side.  A  great  storm  of  wind  arose  and  roared  across  the 
hills  and  valleys.  So  violent  was  the  wind  that  even  the 
rocks  were  moved  out  of  their  places  and  broken  in  their 
fall,  but  Elijah  did  not  feel  that  God  was  in  the  wind. 
An  earthquake  followed  the  wind,  and  after  the  earth- 
quake was  a  fire,  but  Elijah  did  not  feel  God's  presence 
in  either  of  these.  After  the  fire  there  seemed  to  come  a 
"  still  small  voice,"  or,  as  the  Hebrew  language  has  it  "  a 
voice  of  gentle  stillness."  The  moment  he  heard  this 
voiceless  speech,  Elijah  knew  that  he  was  in  God's  pres- 
ence and  he  wrapped  his  face  in  his  mantle. 

Going  Back  to  the  Unfinished  Task.  Elijah  told  God 
that  he  alone  was  left  among  the  people  of  the  land  who 
were  true  to  the  worship  of  Jehovah,  but  God  reminded 
him  that  there  were  seven  thousand  others  who  had  not 
bowed  the  knee  to  Baal.  Elijah  was  told  to  return  again 
to  the  land  of  Israel,  there  to  take  up  the  unfinished  task 
from  which  he  had  so  recently  fled.  He  was  to  anoint  a 
king  to  succeed  Ahab  in  Israel  and  also  to  anoint  a  king 
over  Syria.  Having  performed  this  Elijah  was  to  anoint 
EHsha  as  his  successor.  Elijah  had  doubtless  come  to 
see  in  this  experience  at  Horeb  that  the  work  in  which 
he  was  engaged  was  a  more  vast  undertaking  than  he  had 
understood  before.  He  was  to  do  only  a  part  of  the  task ; 
then  he  was  to  hand  the  uncompleted  work  over  to  others. 
Even  great  men  sometimes  find  it  hard  to  learn  this  les- 
son. They  find  it  difficult  to  understand  that  they  can 
give  only  a  little  help  in  an  age-long  task  which  has  been 
carried  on  by  many  others  before  them  and  which  will  be 
taken  up  by  those  who  will  come  after  them.  Perhaps 
Elijah  had  learned,  too,  that  God  has  other  ways  of  ac- 
complishing his  purposes  besides  those  of  revolution  and 
violent  assaults  against  evil ;  that  God  is  sometimes  in  the 


174    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

'*  still  small  voice  "  which  speaks  in  the  innermost  con- 
sciousness of  men  rather  than  in  the  storm,  the  earth- 
quake, and  the  fire. 

Choosing  a  Successor.  God's  choice  of  a  successor  to 
the  great  prophet  who  was  soon  to  pass  off  the  stage  of 
the  world's  action  fell  upon  a  young  farmer.  Elisha  was 
plowing  in  the  field  with  a  yoke  of  oxen  when  Elijah 
came  to  him  and  cast  his  mantle  upon  him  as  a  sign  that 
he  was  to  be  his  successor.  Elisha  understood  the  sig- 
nificance of  the  act  and  accepted  the  responsibility.  Pos- 
sibly he  had  long  been  connected  with  the  schools  of  the 
prophets  and  had  been  awaiting  some  definite  summons 
to  enter  upon  a  prophet's  mission.  He  asked  only  for 
time  to  take  leave  of  his  friends  and  relatives.  This  be- 
ing done,  he  offered  sacrifices  to  God  and  is'ave  a  fare- 
well dinner  to  his  friends.  '*  Then  he  arose,  and  went 
after  Elijah,  and  ministered  unto  him." 

Cyrus  W.  FieIvD  and  the:  Ati^antic  CabIvE: 

The  story  of  Elijah  shows  us  how  important  it  is  for 
anyone  who  undertakes  a  great  task  of  reform  to  have 
that  persistency  of  purpose  which  never  gives  up.  This 
is  one  of  the  reasons  why  faith  is  such  an  essential  quality 
of  Christian  character.  It  takes  faith  in  oneself,  faith 
in  the  ultimate  triumph  of  righteousness,  and  faith  in 
God,  to  make  a  character  heroically  devoted  to  the  task 
of  establishing  God's  Kingdom  in  the  world. 

The  task  of  the  Christian  Church  does  not  differ  so  very 
much  from  other  great  tasks  in  this  respect.  All  great 
enterprises  demand  the  same  kind  of  faith  and  devotion. 
A  task  like  that  involved  in  laying  the  Atlantic  cable 
never  could  have  been  accomplished  without  faith  and 
unconquerable  devotion.  Cyrus  W.  Field  put  all  the 
money  into  the  enterprise  and  it  looked  many  times  as 
if  he  had  lost  it  all.  His  friends  became  discouraged 
and  said  that  the  scheme  was  the  wild  dream  of  an 
impractical  man.  They  withdrew  their  financial  and 
moral  support.  But  Mr.  Field  kept  right  on  experiment- 
ing with  different  types  of  cables,  learning  a  little  here 
and  a  little  there.     He  never  lost  faith  in  the  ultimate 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS     175 

success  of  the  undertaking.  He  labored  far  into  the  night 
perfecting  different  types  of  instruments  for  sending  and 
receiving  the  electric  message.  He  waded  through  New- 
foundland swamps  seeking  a  good  landing  place  for  his 
cable. 

At  last  the  more  than  a  thousand-mile-long  rope  of 
gutta-percha  and  steel  wire  was  completed  and  stored 
away  in  the  hold  of  the  Great  Eastern.  It  began  to  slip 
over  the  side  of  the  ship  and  sink  into  the  ocean  depths. 
In  mid-ocean  it  parted  and  the  work  had  to  be  done  over 
again.  This  time  it  was  laid  successfully,  but  only  a  few 
words  had  been  sent  on  its  subocean  strands  when  the 
cable  ceased  to  work.  It  had  broken  again.  Months  of 
toil  intervened,  but  at  last  Mr.  Field  was  ready  for  another 
attempt  with  an  entirely  new  cable.  This  time  success 
was  complete.  Moreover,  the  ship  returned  to  mid-ocean 
and  found  the  ends  of  the  cable  which  had  parted  after 
the  sending  of  the  first  few  messages.  It  was  spliced 
and  continued  to  work  successfully  for  many  years 
after.  The  great  tasks  of  the  world  require  this  "  with- 
you-till-death  "  kind  of  devotion,  and  it  is  not  strange 
that  it  should  be  necessary  in  the  establishing  of  the 
Christian  program  in  the  life  of  an  individual  or  in  the 
world. 

The:  Le:sson  Prayer 

Lord,  we  who  have  undertaken  to  be  followers  of  thy 
Son  need  thy  help  that  we  may  carry  out  our  purposes. 
Teach  us  day  by  day  more  of  the  fidelity  and  patience 
which  marked  the  life  of  our  Master.  Deliver  us  from 
all  moral  cowardice  which  would  keep  us  from  speaking 
the  truth  at  all  times  and  under  all  circumstances.  Give 
a  sense  of  universal  brotherhood  and  good  will.  We  pray 
that  justice  and  righteousness  may  prevail  throughout  all 
our  land.  Help  those  who  have  been  elected  to  office. 
Teach  them  how  to  be  thy  servants  in  the  task  to 
which  they  have  been  called.  Teach  us  to  believe  in 
the  establishment  of  thy  Kingdom  of  truth  in  the  world 
and  show  us  how  to  work  for  it.  We  ask  in  Jesus'  name. 
Amen. 


176       INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

The  Lesson  Hymn 

"  Stand  up,  stand  up  for  Jesus, 

Ye  soldiers  of  the  cross; 
Lift  high  his  royal  banner, 

It  must  not  suffer  loss: 
From  victory  unto  victory 

His  army  he  shall  lead, 
Till  every  foe  is  vanquished. 

And  Christ  is  Lord  indeed. 


"  Stand  up,  stand  up  for  Jesus, 

Stand  in  his  strength  alone; 
The  arm  of  flesh  will  fail  you, 

Ye  dare  not  trust  your  own: 
Put  on  your  gospel  armor, 

Each  piece  put  on  with  prayer: 
Where  duty  calls,  or  danger, 

Be  never  wanting  there." 


EXPRESSIONAL  SESSION 

HEROIC  DEVOTION  TO  TRUTH,  JUSTICE,  AND 
RIGHTEOUSNESS 

Suggestions  for  the  Leader's  Opening  Address 

The  great  characteristic  which  distinguished  the 
prophets  from  other  people  of  their  day  was  their  pas- 
sion for  truth,  justice,  and  righteousness.  They  had  a 
horror  of  religious  ceremonies  carried  on  by  people  who 
were  living  in  impurity  and  acting  unjustly.  They  hated 
all  hypocrisy  because  hypocrisy  is  a  constant  denial  of 
the  truth.  It  is  an  acted  lie  carried  on  until  it  becomes 
habitual.  The  prophets,  like  the  Great  Prophet  who  was 
to  succeed  them,  rebelled  at  the  fastidiousness  that  con- 
cerned itself  with  keeping  the  outside  of  the  cup  clean 
while  the  inside  was  full  of  filthiness.  They  denounced 
the  whited  sepulchers  that  were  outwardly  fair,  but 
within  full  of  dead  men's  bones  and  all  uncleanness. 
They  believed  in  letting  the  truth  be  seen  in  all  its  details. 
They  could  not  bear  a  civilization  and  a  religion  which 
was  not  built  on  justice  toward  men  and  truth  toward 
God. 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS     177 

Study  Topics 

1.  Is  a  Boy  or  Girl  Who  "  Copies  "  in  an  Examina- 
tion at  School  Loyal  to  the  Truth? 

2.  A  Boy  Whose  Parents  Are  Really  Quite  Generous, 
Wishes  Money  to  Buy  a  Bicycle,  but  His  Parents  Refuse. 
Then  the  Boy  Says :  "  That's  Always  the  Way.  I  Can 
Never  Have  Anything  Like  Other  Boys."  Does  Such  a 
Boy  Violate  the  Laws  of  Truth  and  Justice? 

3.  If  We  Are  Friendly  Only  with  People  Who  Are 
Weil-Dressed  and  Who  Live  in  Fine  Houses,  Are  We 
Living  Up  to  Christian  Ideals  of  Truth  and  Brotherhood? 

4.  Can  You  Tell  What  the  Chief  Dififerences  Were 
Between  Elijah  and  the  Elders  and  Nobles  Who  Stoned 
Naboth? 

5.  Why  Is  It  Important  That  We  Think  of  God  as  a 
Being  of  Truth,  Justice,  and  Righteousness? 

Versus  for  Use  in  the  Meeting 

I  Sam.  16:7;  Ps.  4:5;  15:1,  2;  Ps.  51:6;  82:3;  Prov. 
16  :31 ;  Isa.  9  :7  ;  Jer.  9  :2  ;  John  8  :32. 

Things  to  Be  Done  by  Individual  Members  oe  the 
Class  or  by  Committees 

1.  Look  up  the  meaning  of  the  following  words  and 
use  them  in  sentences :  prophet,  courageous,  reformation, 
ethical,  enthusiasm,  loyalty,  hypocrisy,  devotion. 

2.  Report  on  the  subject,  ''A  Prophet  Reproves  a 
King  for  His  Lapse  from  Truth,  Justice,  and  Righteous- 
ness."   II  Sam.  12  : 1-15. 

3.  Report  on  the  subject,  "  Micaiah,  a  True  Prophet  of 
Jehovah."    I  Kings  22  :5-28. 

4.  Report  on  the  subject,  "  Jonah,  a  Prophet  Who 
Tried  to  Run  Away  from  God." 

The  Class  Code 

The  Law  of  Devotion  to  Truth,  Justice,  and  Righteous- 
ness.   A  high  regard  for  truth,  a  deep  sense  of  justice,  and 


178    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

a  profound  love  of  righteousness  has  characterized  the 
noblest  characters  of  history.    Therefore : 

1.  We  will  try  to  think,  speak,  and  act  in  harmony 
with  the  truth. 

2.  We  will  make  it  the  rule  of  our  lives  to  be  just 
to  all. 

3.  We  will  try  to  live  lives  that  are  truly  righteous 
before  God. 


CHAPTER  XV 

THE  SHEPHERD  OF  TEKOA  FORETELLS  THE 
COMING  WRATH  OF  GOD 

WEEK  DAY  SESSION 

THE  MAN  AND  HIS  MESSAGE 
Amos,  chs.  1  to  4 

We  have  but  meager  information  concerning  the  lives 
of  the  Hebrew  prophets.  They  were  too  much  absorbed 
in  their  tasks  to  think  much  about  themselves  or  to  speak 
much  about  themselves.  It  is  only  incidentally  and  here 
and  there  that  they  give  us  any  definite  statements  about 
the  events  of  their  lives.  We  can  learn  a  good  deal,  how- 
ever, from  a  careful  study  of  their  writings.  The  words 
they  use  and  their  illustrations  of  spiritual  truths  by  the 
use  of  incidents  in  the  daily  life  of  their  times  help  us  to 
form  plausible  conjectures  as  to  their  lives.  An  observant 
person  can  sometimes  tell  from  a  few  minutes'  conversa- 
tion with  a  man,  or  by  reading  one  of  his  letters,  whether 
that  man  is  country-bred,  or  city-bred,.  In  the  same  way 
the  writings  of  the  prophets  help  us  to  know  the  prophets 
themselves. 

A  Man  of  Lowly  Origin.  Amos  sprang  from  the  low- 
liest of  the  common  people.  He  was  a  shepherd  and  a 
gatherer  of  sycomore  fruits,  both  humble  occupations. 
We  might  have  guessed  as  much,  even  if  he  had  said 
nothing  on  the  subject.  Many  of  his  illustrations  are 
plainly  drawn  from  the  life  and  experience  of  a  shepherd. 
Nearly  every  paragraph  in  his  writings  shows  him  to 
have  been  a  man  of  the  out  of  doors.  He  knew  about  the 
wild  animal  life  of  the  country.  He  was  familiar  with 
the  methods  of  the  hunter  and  the  trapper  of  birds.  He 
knew  the  names  of  the  stars  and  their  constellations. 
He  understood  the  work  of  the  gardener  and  the  small 
farmer;  sowing,  plowing,  reaping,  and  winnowing. 

179 


180     INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH   SCHOOL  LESSONS 

A  Learned  Man.  Yet  Amos  was  a  man  of  no  mean 
learning.  He  knew  a  good  deal  of  geography.  He  could 
locate  foreign  countries  and  was  familiar  with  their  his- 
tory. He  knew  about  such  facts  as  the  annual  rise  and 
fall  of  the  Nile.  He  knew  what  was  going  on  in  the 
great  cities  of  his  native  land  and  in  foreign  nations. 
This  shepherd  prophet  was  a  thinker  and  a  philosopher. 

His  Home.  Amos  lived  in  Tekoa,  a  village  five  miles 
south  of  Bethlehem  and  on  the  edge  of  the  desolate  wil- 
derness of  Judea.  It  was  located  on  a  hill  and  was  prob- 
ably never  a  very  large  place  as  the  ruins  now  found  there 
do  not  cover  more  than  four  or  five  acres.  It  is  a  re- 
markable fact  of  secular  history,  as  well  as  a  fact  of 
Bible  history,  that  God  has  often  chosen  people  for  his 
greatest  tasks  from  just  such  humble  places  as  Tekoa. 
The  boys  or  girls  who  live  in  backwoods  communities 
need  not  feel  that  there  is  no  chance  for  them  to  give 
great  service  to  God  and  humanity.  Those  who  do  the 
great  tasks  have  usually  begun  by  doing  humble  tasks 
well. 

His  Ideas  About  God.  The  importance  of  a  person's 
ideas  about  God  has  been  mentioned  a  number  of  times 
in  these  lessons.  We  have  seen  that  people  who  love 
justice,  mercy,  and  righteousness  are,  almost  without  ex- 
ception, worshipers'of  a  God  of  justice,  mercy,  and  right- 
eousness. The  writings  of  Amos  are  full  of  the  con- 
sciousness of  God's  presence  in  the  world  and  in  the 
affairs  of  the  nations.  Amos  had  a  high  conception  of 
the  power  and  majesty  of  Jehovah.  He  was  the  majestic 
Creator  who  made  the  Pleiades  and  Orion.  He  was  the 
power  which  touched  the  hills  and  made  them  smoke. 
He  ruled  the  storm  and  the  earthquake  and  his  power 
was  seen  in  every  dawning  day.  Amos  thought  of  God 
as  the  Ruler  of  all  nations.  He  was  just  as  much  the 
Ruler  of  the  Gentile  nations  as  he  was  of  the  Hebrews. 
It  was  Jehovah  who  had  '*  brought  up  .  .  .  the  Philis- 
tines from  Caphtor,  and  the  Syrians  from  Kir."  When 
a  man  has  such  a  consciousness  of  God's  place  and  power 
in  the  afifairs  of  men  as  Amos  had,  it  helps  that  man  to 
become  a  mighty  force  for  righteousness  in  his  day.  Such 
a  man  never  becomes  a  cowardly  and  selfish  flatterer  of 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS     181 

those  who  are  in  power.  Such  a  man  is  never  a  Pharisee 
who  makes  clean  the  outside  of  the  cup  and  leaves  the 
inside  full  of  uncleanness.  As  we  read  the  history  of  the 
nations  we  can  pick  out  here  and  there  individuals  and 
groups  of  people  whose  characters  were  built  on  such  a 
consciousness  of  God  as  Amos  had.  The  Pilgrims  who 
landed  at  Plymouth  were  such  people.  Cromwell's 
*'  Ironsides  "  who  ''  bowed  in  the  dust  before  their  God 
but  put  their  heels  on  the  necks  of  kings  "  were  such 
men.  They  have  been  the  champions  of  justice  and  of 
right  and  of  liberty. 

The  Breadth  of  His  Message.  The  prophecies  of  Amos 
were  not  concerned  with  the  Hebrew  people  alone.  The 
sweep  of  his  vision  took  in  all  the  nations  of  the  world 
as  known  in  his  day.  Jehovah  was,  in  his  view,  the 
sovereign  God  calling  all  nations  to  account  for  their 
transgressions.  Damascus,  Philistia,  Edom,  Moab,  and 
Tyre  were  all  warned  of  the  punishment  awaiting  them 
if  they  did  not  repent.  The  sins  for  which  these  pagan 
nations  were  sternly  called  to  account  were  chiefly  the 
cruelties  of  war.  They  had  been  guilty  of  selling  whole 
nations  into  slavery ;  they  had  pursued  a  ruthless  warfare 
of  extermination ;  they  had  not  spared  women  and  chil- 
dren ;  they  had  violated  solemn  treaties.  The  prophet 
evidently  considered  that  such  acts  were  inexcusable, 
even  in  pagan  countries,  even  among  peoples  who  had 
never  known  the  God  of  Israel.  The  sin  for  which  the 
prophet  denounced  Judah  was  the  sin  of  apostasy.  They 
had  not  kept  the  statutes  of  Jehovah  and  had  rejected  his 
Law.  The  sin  for  which  he  condemned  the  people  of  the 
Kingdom  of  Israel  was  their  injustice  and  their  greed  for 
gain,  their  cruelty  to  the  poor,  and  their  luxurious 
idleness. 

The  Highest  Calling 

The  highest  qualities  of  any  person  are  those  soul 
capacities  which  are  given  to  man  because  he  is  created 
in  God's  image.  Man  has  certain  bodily  powers  and 
capacities.  It  is  a  high  and  important  office  to  help  our 
fellow  men  to  be  physically  strong.  Man  has  certain 
mental  powers  and  capacities  and  it  is  a  worthy  life  task 


182    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

to  help  our  fellow  men  to  grow  strong  in  mental  power. 
But  man  has  also  certain  powers  that  are  neither  those 
of  the  body  nor  those  of  the  mind.  They  are  soul  powers 
and  capacities.  It  is  the  highest  task  that  God  has  ever 
given  to  help  one's  fellow  men  grow  into  soul  strength 
and  purity.  This  is  the  highest  calling.  The  one  who 
has  been  called  of  God  to  minister  to  the  souls  of  his 
fellow  men  is  of  the  brotherhood  of  the  prophets.  There 
is  a  sense  in  which  everyone  can  have  a  part  in  this 
prophetic  office.  Everyone  can  have  a  part  in  this  min- 
istry to  his  fellow  men.  This  is  what  Protestants  mean 
by  the  universal  priesthood  of  believers.  Every  soul  can 
help  other  souls  to  find  God  and  to  know  him.  But  there 
are  some  whom  God  calls  to  give  all  their  time  to  help- 
ing their  fellow  men  in  spiritual  matters.  Every  Chris- 
tian young  person  should  consider  carefully  and  prayer- 
fully the  problem  of  a  life  work.  Some  will  hear  God's 
call  to  give  all  their  time  to  Christian  service ;  others  will 
hear  God's  call  to  some  other  occupation.  But  even  these 
latter  will  do  their  life  tasks  better  because  they  feel 
that  they  are  God-given  tasks,  and  they,  too,  may  have 
a  part  in  the  ministry  to  the  souls  of  their  fellows.  The 
highest  calling  includes  other  forms  of  Christian  service 
besides  preaching.  It  includes  the  various  forms  of  mis- 
sionary activity  at  home  and  abroad.  It  includes  religious 
teaching.  It  may  be  well  to  point  out  here  some  of  the 
reasons  why  these  occupations  are  of  great  importance. 

The  Minister.  The  minister  is  the  present-day  prophet. 
He  must  do  for  our  day  what  the  Hebrew  prophets  did 
for  their  day.  He  must  be  the  spiritual  guide  for  indi- 
viduals and  for  communities  and  for  nations.  He  is  the 
man  of  spiritual  vision  for  his  community  and  he  and  his 
brethren  are  the  spiritual  eyes  for  the  nation.  The  Bible 
says,  "  Where  there  is  no  vision,  the  people  cast  off  re- 
straint," and  there  are  many  communities  in  our  country 
where  this  statement  is  shown  to  be  true. 

The  Missionary.  Missionaries  are  messengers  of  re- 
ligious truth  sent  out  to  foreign  nations  and  to  the 
neglected  places  of  our  own  land.  Missionaries  are 
people  who  have  heard,  like  Abraham,  God's  voice  say- 
ing, "  Get  thee  out  of  thy  country,  and  from  thy  kindred, 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS     183 

and  from  thy  father's  house,  unto  the  land  that  I  will 
show  thee:  .  .  .  and  be  thou  a  blessing."  Missionaries 
have  a  good  many  hardships,  but  they  are  generally  the 
happiest  people  we  meet  in  the  world  to-day.  A  great 
and  useful  life  task  gives  a  happiness  that  is  both  deep 
and  lasting.  Missionaries  feel  something  of  the  gladness 
of  soul  which  rings  in  such  words  of  the  prophets  as  the 
following: 

"  How  beautiful  upon  the  mountains  are  the  feet  of  him  that 
bringeth  good  tidings,  that  publisheth  peace,  that  bringeth  good 
tidings  of  good,  that  publisheth  salvation,  that  saith  unto  Zion, 
Thy  God  reigneth!"— Isa.  52:7. 

The  Teacher  of  Religion.  The  early  Christian  Church 
had  teachers  who  made  the  instruction  of  children  and 
older  persons  a  life  work.  This  teaching  ministry  is  just 
now  being  restored  to  the  Church.  It  is  becoming  pos- 
sible for  young  people  to  prepare  themselves  for  the 
teaching  of  religion  as  their  calling.  Many  churches  are 
employing  directors  of  religious  education  who  give  all 
their  time  lo  the  organizing  and  supervising  of  the  teach- 
ing activities  of  the  church.  No  greater  opportunity  for 
a  life  service  could  be  found  than  that  of  teaching  to  chil- 
dren and  youth  the  great  religious  truths  of  the  Bible. 

Grknfei.1.  of  the:  Labrador 

A  good  many  years  ago  a  young  man  named  Wilfred 
Grenfell  attended  one  of  Mr.  Moody's  preaching  services 
in  England.  He  was  deeply  impressed  by  Mr.  Moody's 
plea  to  young  people  to  give  their  lives  to  Christian  serv- 
ice. He  resolved  that  his  life  should  be  spent  in  the 
service  of  Christ  and  his  fellow  men.  He  studied  medi- 
cine and  later  became  a  medical  missionary  on  the  coast 
of  Labrador.  Along  the  thousands  of  miles  of  Labrador 
coast  are  hundreds  of  villages  of  poor  fisher  folk.  Before 
the  fishing  was  poor  they  almost  starved. 
Grenfell  came  they  were  almost  wholly  without  medical 
care.  When  the  fishing  proved  to  be  good  they  could 
make  a  living,  but  in  the  frequently  recurring  years  when 

Doctor  Grenfell  is  physician,  preacher,  and  teacher. 
He  makes  long  journeys  up  and  down  the  coast  in  his 

13 


184    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

boat  in  summer  and  with  his  sled  and  team  of  dogs  in 
winter.  Often  he  goes  hundreds  of  miles  to  attend  some 
one  who  is  sick  or  who  has  met  with  an  accident.  Fre- 
quently he  is  caught  in  the  dreadful  northern  blizzards 
while  on  his  journey,  but  he  has  learned  how  to  dig  down 
into  the  snow  and  nestle  there  with  his  faithful  dogs  until 
the  storm  abates.  Once  he  was  journeying  down  the 
coast  on  the  ice  when  a  strong  wind  from  off  the  land 
set  the  ice  in  motion  and  before  he  knew  it  he  was  far 
from  land  on  the  floating  ice  fields.  The  wind  was  ter- 
rifically cold  and  it  looked  as  though  he  would  certainly 
be  driven  far  out  to  sea  and  perish  there.  With  the  re- 
sourcefulness and  promptness  of  the  experienced  fron- 
tiersman he  decided  what  must  be  done.  He  killed  his 
three  dogs  and  wrapped  himself  in  their  warm  skins. 
Then  taking  their  frozen  legs,  he  made  a  flagpole  to 
which  he  fastened  his  shirt.  Through  the  long  hours  of 
the  night  he  drifted  down  the  coast  and  gradually  got 
farther  out  to  sea.  The  dog  skins  kept  him  from  freezing 
to  death.  At  last  some  one  on  shore  saw  the  tiny  speck 
of  his  flag  and  a  boat  came  to  his  rescue. 

Thus  the  doctor  works  on,  summer  and  winter,  night 
and  day,  far  away  from  the  comforts  and  luxuries  of  his 
native  land,  but  he  is  happy  and  contented.  If  anyone 
speaks  to  him  about  the  sacrifices  he  has  made,  he  says 
that  he  does  not  know  anything  about  sacrifices,  that  he 
is  having  a  great  time,  that  his  work  is  fun.  It  is  nearly 
always  so  with  those  who  throw  themselves  into  the 
service  of  Christ  and  their  fellow  men.  Such  people  find 
such  rewards  of  joy  that  what  they  give  up  seems  as 
nothing  in  comparison. 


SUNDAY  SESSION 

THE  PREACHING  OF  A  PROPHET 

Amos,  chs.  5  to  9 

We  have  only  fragments  of  the  sermons  which  the 
prophet  Amos  preached  to  the  people  of  his  day.  Yet 
these  fragments  are  enough  to  convince  us  that  he  was  a 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS     185 

preacher  of  power.  Perhaps  his  sermons  were  com- 
mitted to  writing  and  these  written  extracts  were  sent 
into  various  parts  of  the  two  sections  of  the  Hebrew 
nation  and  thus  many  more  people  were  reached  than 
could  have  been  reached  by  the  prophet's  spoken  mes- 
sages alone. 

Sermons  Not  Aimed  to  Please  but  to  Convince.  Amos 
was  too  great  and  earnest  a  man  to  compose  sermons  for 
their  own  sake,  or  that  he  might  through  his  preaching 
make  a  name  for  himself  and  a  reputation  for  rhetoric 
and  oratory.  No  really  great  preacher  ever  does  preach 
with  such  ends  in  view.  Amos  was  tremendously  in 
earnest.  He  believed  that  a  dreadful  fate  for  both  the 
Kingdom  of  Israel  and  the  Kingdom  of  Judah  was  just 
at  hand.  The  Hebrew  people  must  hear  quickly,  repent 
forthwith,  and  turn  from  their  evil  ways,  or  destruction 
was  certain. 

Sermons  Full  of  Reproof.  There  is  not  a  word  of  flat- 
tery, or  anything  suggesting  flattery,  in  all  the  utterances 
of  the  prophet ;  on  the  other  hand,  they  are  burdened  with 
reproof.  He  upbraids  the  Hebrews  for  greed  and  cruelty, 
for  ingratitude,  for  hishonesty  in  business,  for  Sabbath 
desecration,  for  empty  and  hypocritical  worship,  for  lux- 
urious idleness,  for  bribery,  and  for  the  wholesale  perver- 
sion of  justice.  Such  preaching  will  either  lead  trans- 
gressors to  repent  or  it  will  awaken  within  them  a  spirit 
of  hatred  and  opposition  which  makes  the  position  of  the 
one  denouncing  these  transgressions  a  position  not  to  be 
desired. 

Sermons  Full  of  Warning.  The  warning  note  runs 
through  all  the  utterances  of  Amos :  the  lion  has  roared 
and  is  even  now  at  the  door  of  the  sheepfold ;  foreign 
armies  will  come;  the  land  will  be  invaded;  its  cities  will 
sink  in  fire ;  its  people  will  be  destroyed  by  the  sword,  or 
led  away  captive;  the  whole  land  will  be  left  with  only 
a  meager  handful  of  people ;  the  fields  will  be  desolate ; 
cities  will  be  without  inhabitant.  Did  the  people  believe 
that  these  calamities  would  come?  Evidently  most  of 
them  did  not,  but  they  had  reason  to  believe  that  they 
would  come.  The  great  world  power  of  Assyria  was 
coming  closer,  year  by  year.     Nation  after  nation  had 


186    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

y^one  down,  but  the  Hebrews  seem  to  have  thought  that 
in  some  way  they  would  escape. 

Sermons  Which  Contained  Messages  of  Hope.  The 
preaching  of  Amos  was  not  one  continuous  recital  of 
coming  disasters.  There  was  an  encouragement  to  hope 
if  only  the  nation  should  repent  and  turn  away  from  its 
unrighteous  ways. 

"Seek  good,  and  not  evil,  that  ye  may  live;  and  so  Jehovah, 
the  God  of  hosts,  will  be  with  you,  as  ye  say.  Hate  the  evil, 
and  love  the  good,  and  establish  justice  in  the  gate:  it  may  be 
that  Jehovah,  the  God  of  hosts,  will  be  gracious  unto  the  rem- 
nant of  Joseph." — Amos  5:14,  15. 

Moreover  the  vision  of  the  prophet  could  pierce  beyond 
the  clouds  of  coming  disaster  and  see  the  time  of  restora- 
tion and  righteousness  and  peace. 

"  And  I  will  bring  back  the  captivity  of  my  people 
Israel,  and  they  shall  build  the  waste  cities,  and  inhabit 
them ;  and  they  shall  plant  vineyards,  and  drink  the  wine 
thereof;  they  shall  also  make  gardens,  and  eat  the  fruit 
of  them.  And  I  will  plant  them  upon  their  land,  and  they 
shall  no  more  be  plucked  up  out  of  their  land  which  I 
have  given  them^  saith  Jehovah  thy  God." — Amos  9  :14,15. 

Such  preaching  as  that  of  Amos  has  often  been  criti- 
cised as  destructive,  and  the  preachers  of  such  sermons 
have  been  called  "  troublers  of  Israel,"  but  neither  the 
criticism  of  the  sermons  nor  the  term  applied  to  the 
preachers  is  just.  Amos  and  preachers  of  his  kind  in 
times  like  his  are  not  destructive,  but  constructive ;  not 
those  who  denounce  transgressions  but  those  who  com- 
mit transgressions  are  the  true  "  troublers  of  Israel." 

Priest  and  Prophet.  Of  course  the  preaching  of  Amos 
aroused  opposition.  There  was  a  certain  priest  attached 
to  the  shrine  at  Bethel  who  charged  Amos  with  con- 
spiracy because  he  predicted  the  overthrow  of  the  King- 
dom of  Israel  and  the  carrying  away  of  the  people  into 
captivity.  This  has  ever  been  the  way  of  tyrants  and 
evildoers.  They  have  sought  to  revenge  themselves  on 
those  who  reproved  them  for  their  evil  ways.  They  have 
charged  those  who  have  pointed  out  the  evils  resulting 
from  transgression  with  being  responsible  for  the  evils 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS     187 

which  they  foresaw.  They  have  "  tried  to  stop  the  dawn 
by  wringing  the  neck  of  the  crowing  cock." 

Mark  the  haughty  scorn  in  the  words  of  the  proud 
priest  of  Bethel  to  the  shepherd  prophet  of  Tekoa :  "O 
thou  seer,  go,  flee  thou  away  into  the  land  of  Judah,  and 
there  eat  bread,  and  prophesy  there :  but  prophesy  not 
again  any  more  at  Bethel ;  for  it  is  the  king's  sanctuary, 
and  it  is  a  royal  house."    Amos  7  :12,  13. 

But  Amos  was  not  a  man  to  be  frightened  from  his 
task  by  false  charges  of  conspiracy,  neither  was  he  one 
to  be  awed  into  silence  by  royal  pomp  and  kingly  pride. 
He  said  to  Amaziah,  the  priest,  ''I  was  no  prophet,  neither 
was  I  a  prophet's  son ;  but  I  was  a  herdsman,  and  a 
dresser  of  sycomore-trees :  and  Jehovah  .  .  .  said  unto 
me.  Go,  prophesy  unto  my  people  Israel."  Then  the 
prophet  proceeded  to  tell  the  proud  priest  the  disasters 
which  were  in  store  for  the  nation  and  for  him  and  his 
family,  and  the  prediction  was  such  as  must  have  made 
the  haughty  priest  quake  with  fear. 

Preaching  Which  Change:s  the:  De:stinie:s  of  Nations 

We  cannot  tell  how  great  the  efifect  of  the  preaching  of 
Amos  may  have  been.  We  do  not  know"  how  many  indi- 
viduals heard  his  warnings  and  his  call  to  righteousness 
and  turned  to  the  way  of  repentance  and  life.  We  may  be 
sure  that  the  preaching  of  Amos  and  the  other  prophets 
saved  the  Hebrew  people  from  utter  disaster.  There  were 
those  who  heard  and  believed  and  these  became  the  seed 
of  the  new  Israel.  These  believers  and  their  descendants 
kept  the  faith  in  Jehovah  alive  during  the  trying  days  of 
the  Captivity  of  Judah,  and  they  were  first  to  return  to 
rebuild  the  ruined  cities  and  reestablish  the  worship  of 
Jehovah  in  his  Temple  at  Jerusalem.  If  it  had  not  been 
for  men  like  Amos,  the  fate  of  Judah  would  have  been 
the  same  as  the  fate  of  Israel.  Instead  of  ten  lost  tribes 
there  would  have  been  twelve,  and  what  then  would  have 
become  of  God's  plans  for  blessing  humanity  through  the 
Hebrews?  But  God  never  suffers  his  plans  utterly  to  fail. 
He  raises  up  men  like  Amos  who  stand  in  the  breach  in 
the  hour  of  peril  and  save  the  day  for  God  and  right- 
eousness. 


188    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

Do  you  know  why  Scotland  is  a  stronghold  of  the 
Protestant  faith?  It  is  largely  because  of  the  preaching 
of  one  man,  a  sixteenth-century  prophet  named  John 
Knox.  A  determined  queen  of  England  was  resolved  to 
turn  away  her  whole  realm  and  all  the  British  Isles  from 
the  Protestant  faith.  She  said  that  she  feared  John  Knox 
more  than  all  the  armies  of  her  enemies.  And  had  it  not 
been  for  John  Knox  and  a  few  others  like  him,  who 
stemmed  the  tide  of  spiritual  reaction  with  the  power  of 
prophetic  preaching,  the  queen  might  have  succeeded. 

Tut  Lesson  Prayer 

We  are  grateful  to  thee,  our  Father  in  heaven,  for  the 
truth  and  righteousness  which  thou  hast  saved  for  our 
own  day  through  the  heroism  of  thy  servants  in  past 
ages.  These  men  of  old  were  strong  because  they  knew 
that  they  stood  for  the  right  and  because  they  felt  thy 
presence  with  them.  We  have  not  the  same  difficulties 
in  our  way  that  they  had,  and  yet  we  sometimes  find  it 
hard  to  do  thy  will  perfectly.  Give  us  strength  to  over- 
come our  little  difficulties  and  may  we  do  our  tasks  in  a 
spirit  of  love  and  faithfulness.  We  ask  in  the  name  of 
Jesus,  thy  Son.    Amen. 


Thd  Lesson  Hymn 

O  Word  of  God  incarnate, 

O  Wisdom  from  on  high, 
O  Truth  unchanged,  unchanging, 

O  Light  of  our  dark  sky; 
We  praise  thee  for  the  radiance 

That  from  the  hallowed  page, 
A  lantern  to  our  footsteps, 

Shines  on  from  age  to  age. 

The  Church  from  her  dear  Master 

Received  the  gift  divine, 
And  still  that  light  she  lifteth 

O'er  all  the  world  to  shine. 
It  is  the  golden  casket, 

Where  gems  of  truth  are  stored; 
It  is  the  heaven-drawn  picture 

Of  Christ,  the  living  Word. 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS     189 

"  It  floateth  like  a  banner 

Before  God's  host  unfurled; 
It  shineth  like  a  beacon 

Above  the  darkling  world, 
It  is  the  chart  and  compass 

That  o'er  life's  surging  sea, 
'Mid  mists  and  rocks  and  quicksands, 

Still  guides,  O  Christ,  to  thee. 

"  O  make  thy  Church,  dear  Saviour, 

A  lamp  of  purest  gold, 
To  bear  before  the  nations 

Thy  true  light,  as  of  old, 
O  teach  thy  w^andering  pilgrims 

By  this  their  path  to  trace. 
Till,  clouds  and  darkness  ended. 

They  see  thee  face  to  face." 


EXPRESSIONAL  SESSION 

CHRISTIAN  WORK  AS  A  LIFE  OCCUPATION 
SUGGI:STI0NS  FOR  THE  LKADER^S  OpE^NING  AdDR^SS 

Most  of  the  members  of  this  class  are  at  the  time  of  life 
when  we  begin  to  think  seriously  of  our  choice  of  a 
life  occupation.  As  we  have  seen  in  a  previous  lesson, 
this  is  a  matter  of  importance  since  it  is  apt  to  determine 
to  a  considerable  degree  our  usefulness  in  the  world  and 
our  happiness  in  our  life  tasks.  We  cannot  all  make 
Christian  work  our  life  occupation,  but  some  of  the  young 
people  of  to-day  must  do  so,  if  the  work  of  the  Church 
is  to  go  on.  Some  of  us  must  become  the  ministers,  mis- 
sionaries, and  religious  teachers  of  the  years  that  are  just 
ahead  of  us. 

If  a  young  person  does  not  feel  that  God  calls  to 
Christian  work  as  a  life  occupation,  there  should  at  least 
be  the  resolve  of  such  young  people  to  do  some  definite 
Christian  work.  They  should  also  look  upon  whatever 
life  work  they  undertake  as  a  God-given  task  and  should 
do  their  work  in  such  a  way  as  to  bring  comfort  and  help 
to  their  fellow  men.  We  need  more  young  people  who 
have  a  spirit  like  that  of  Wilfred  Grenfell,  who  are  will- 
ing to  go  anywhere  and  do  anything  provided  they  can 


190    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

thus  serve  Christ  and  humanity.  We  need  that  kind  of 
people,  too,  in  all  lines  of  business  and  in  all  our  pro- 
fessions, people  who  put  service  of  others  above  profits 
for  self.  When  this  spirit  of  service  fills  the  business  and 
professional  life  of  the  world,  we  shall  have  gone  a  long 
way  toward  making  it  possible  for  God's  Kingdom  to  be 
set  up  upon  earth. 

Study  Topics 

1.  Tell  of  the  Life  and  Work  of  the  Following  Great 
Preachers:  Beecher,  Moody,  Guthrie,  John  Wesley, 
Whitefield,  John  Knox,  John  Calvin,  Jonathan  Edwards. 

2.  Tell  of  the  Life  and  Work  of  the  Following  Mis- 
sionaries: Judson,  Livingstone,  Morrison,  Crawford, 
Paton,  Mackay,  and  Others  Whose  Names  You  Know. 

3.  Find  Verses  in  Amos  Which  Express  Reproof  of 
Greed,  Cruelty,  Ingratitude,  Dishonesty  in  Business, 
Sabbath-Breaking,  Idleness,  Cruelty  in  War. 

4.  Find  Verses  in  Amos  Which  Are  Warnings. 

5.  Locate  Moab,  Ekron,  Gaza,  Ashdod.  Ashkelon, 
Damascus,  Ancient  Assyria,  Samaria,  Jerusalem,  Tyre, 
Sidon,  Gilead,  Tekoa. 


Vhrse:s  for  Use:  in  the:  Me:e:ting 

Isa.  6 :  8  ;  61 : 1 ;  Matt.  4 :  17  ;  9  :  36-38  ;  Luke  9:2;  Rom. 
10:15;  I  Cor.  1:23;  II  Tim.  4:2. 

Committe:e:  to  Be:  Appointe:d 

Missionary  Information  Committee,  to  report  on  the 
general  topic,  **  Presbyterian  Foreign  Mission  Stations 
Throughout  the  World,  Their  Location  and  Their  Work." 

The:  Class  Code 

The  Law  of  Respect  for  Christian  Work.  We  believe 
that  God  calls  some  of  his  servants  to  give  their  whole 
time  to  Christian  work  and  that  such  a  task  is  one  of  the 
greatest  in  the  world.    Therefore : 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH   SCHOOL  LESSONS    191 

1.  AVe  will  each  of  us  consider  earnestly  and  prayer- 
fully whether  God  may  not  desire  us  for  this  kind  of 
service. 

2.  If  we  are  convinced  that  such  is  God's  will,  we  will 
endeavor  to  follow  his  guidance. 

3.  We  will  ever  honor  and  support  those  who  have 
been  called  of  God  into  this  kind  of  service. 


CHAPTER  XVI 

MICAH'S  MESSAGE  CONCERNING  SOCIAL 
RIGHTEOUSNESS 

WEEK  DAY  SESSION 

THE  FALSE  PROPHETS 

Micah  2:11;  3:5-12;  Isa.  28:7,  8;  I  Kings  22:1-28; 
Jer.  29 :  8-23 

Times  like  those  we  have  been  considering,  in  which 
good  and  evil  are  locked  in  fierce  combat,  are  times  of 
testing.  They  are  like  a  refiner's  fire.  They  reveal  the 
gold  and  the  dross  of  men's  characters.  Not  all  those 
who  claimed  to  be  prophets  were  able  to  stand  these 
times  of  testing.  There  were  some  who  proved  untrue 
to  their  sublime  office  as  revealers  of  God's  truth  to  their 
fellow  countrymen.  These  false  prophets  became  the 
most  determined  of  all  the  opponents  of  the  prophets  who 
remained  true  to  their  mission.  The  number  of  those 
who  misrepresented  God  and  his  truth  may  have  been 
large,  for  in  one  instance  we  find  a  lone  prophet  of  God 
pitted  against  four  hundred  false  prophets. 

Lying  Messages.  In  these  lessons  the  prophetic  office 
has  been  spoken  of  as  "  the  highest  calling."  The  higher 
the  task  to  which  God  calls  a  man  the  greater  is  a  man's 
sin  and  shame  if  he  prove  untrue  to  his  task.  The  awful- 
ness  of  the  sin  of  the  false  prophets  lay  in  the  fact  that 
they  not  only  spoke  lying  words,  but  that  they  declared 
that  the  words  they  spoke  were  messages  from  God. 
When  the  true  prophets  declared  that  unless  the  nation 
should  repent  and  reestablish  justice  and  righteousness 
the  nation  would  perish,  and  emphasized  their  messages 
with  a  solemn,  ''  Thus  saith  Jehovah,"  the  false  prophets 
replied  that  nothing  of  the  kind  would  take  place  and 
they  also  declared,  "  Thus  saith  Jehovah."  If  the  false 
prophets  were,  indeed,  far  more  numerous  than  the  true 

192 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS     193 

prophets,  it  is  little  wonder  that  many  of  the  people  were 
confused  and  believed  the  false  rather  than  the  true  mes- 
sengers of  God. 

False  Patriotism.  The  false  prophets  doubtless  de- 
ceived many  because,  on  the  surface,  they  seemed  to  be 
patriotic.  They  were  always  saying:  "Jehovah  is  the 
God  of  our  nation.  He  will  never  allow  his  holy  city  and 
his  holy  Temple  to  be  trampled  under  the  feet  of  the 
Gentiles."  They  doubtless  had  much  to  say  of  the  great- 
ness of  the  Hebrew  people  and  their  heroes  of  old  who 
conquered  the  kings  of  Bashan  and  Canaan.  People  who 
did  not  think  clearly  or  deeply  would  say :  "  Why,  these 
men  are  true  patriots.  They  honor  Jehovah  and  his 
people.  Surely  we  can  believe  that  they  speak  true  mes- 
sages from  God." 

On  the  other  hand,  the  true  prophets  seemed  to  these 
shallow-thinking  folk  unpatriotic.  It  seemed  to  them  that 
if  the  true  prophets  were  patriotic,  they  would  not  always 
be  predicting  such  dire  calamities  for  their  native  land. 
They  could  not  see  that  the  highest  love  a  man  can  have 
for  his  nation  is  that  love  which  prompts  him  to  tell  his 
nation  of  its  sins  and  to  point  out  the  consequences  of  its 
transgressions. 

Dodgers  of  Moral  Issues.  The  injustice  of  the  times 
cried  aloud  to  heaven,  but  the  false  prophets  kept  dis- 
creetly silent.  They  thought  best  not  to  take  part  in 
such  matters.  They  were  the  ministers  of  religion,  and 
religion,  they  believed,  had  to  do  with  people's  relations 
to  God.  It  had  not  much  to  do  with  relations  existing 
between  man  and  man.  So  the  false  prophets  showed  no 
concern  about  such  matters  as  the  perversion  of  justice 
through  bribery,  the  selling  of  people  for  indebtedness, 
and  the  evils  of  drunkenness.  They  were  popular  with 
the  people  of  prominence  and  power,  whereas  the  words 
of  the  true  prophets  often  got  these  brave  men  into 
trouble  and  sometimes  into  prison. 

Men  of  Low  Character.  At  least  some  of  these  false 
prophets  were  men  of  low  character.  Micah  tells  us  that 
they  were  greedy  for  gain  and  prophesied  for  money. 
Isaiah  tells  us  that  some  of  them  reeled  with  strong  drink. 
Jeremiah  denounced  some  who  were  addicted  to  the  low- 


194    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

est  vices.  This  is  not  surprising,  for  if  they  would  speak 
untrue  messages  and  declare  that  their  words  came  from 
God,  it  is  altogether  to  be  expected  that  they  would  com- 
mit other  sins. 

The  Results  of  False  Prophecy.  The  false  prophets 
were  blind  leaders  of  the  blind,  and  men  like  Amos  and 
Micah  saw  that  if  the  nation  followed  false  teaching,  it 
would  come  to  disaster.  But  these  clear-sighted  men  saw 
something  even  more  serious  than  the  difficulties  and 
losses  which  would  come  to  the  nation  through  following 
false  spiritual  guides.  It  is  the  office  of  the  prophet  to 
stand  between  God  and  the  rest  of  men  and  to  speak 
God's  messages.  What  if  all  the  prophets  should  become 
false  prophets?  If  no  man  could  be  found  faithful  enough 
to  speak  God's  messages,  how  were  the  people  to  know 
God's  will?  This  is  what  Amos  means  when  he  speaks 
in  Jehovah's  name  saying: 

"  Behold,  the  days  come,  saith  the  Lord  Jehovah,  that  I  will 
send  a  famine  in  the  land,  not  a  famine  of  bread,  nor  a  thirst  for 
water,  but  of  hearing  the  words  of  Jehovah.  And  they  shall 
wander  from  sea  to  sea,  and  from  the  north  even  to  the  east: 
they  shall  run  to  and  fro  to  seek  the  word  of  Jehovah,  and  shall 
not  f^nd  it."— Amos  8:11,  12. 

Micah  speaking  of  the  same  danger  says : 

"  Thus  saith  Jehovah  concerning  the  prophets  that  make  my 
people  to  err;  that  bite  with  their  teeth,  and  cry,  Peace;  and 
whoso  putteth  not  into  their  mouths,  they  even  prepare  war 
against  him:  Therefore  it  shall  be  night  unto  you,  that  ye  shall 
have  no  vision;  and  it  shall  be  dark  unto  you,  that  ye  shall  not 
divine;  and  the  sun  shall  go  down  upon  the  prophets,  and  the 
day  shall  be  black  over  them.  And  the  seers  shall  be  put  to 
shame,  and  the  diviners  confounded;  yea,  they  shall  all  cover 
their  lips;  for  there  is  no  answer  of  God." — Micah  3:5-7. 

Ke:i^ping  the  Light  of  God  in  the  World 

Mary  Leighton  was  the  ten-year-old  daughter  of  a 
lighthouse  keeper.  The  lighthouse  of  which  her  father 
was  the  keeper  stood  on  a  little  rocky  islet  a  mile  from 
the  coast.  The  keeper's  family  lived  in  a  house  on  the 
mainland,  and  the  keeper  was  with  them  whenever  he  was 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS     195 

not  on  duty  at  the  light.  Mary  often  stayed  with  her 
father  in  the  Hghthouse.  She  learned  to  care  for  the 
lights  quite  as  well  as  her  father,  and  she  often  helped 
him  polish  the  great  reflectors  which  had  to  be  always 
bright  in  order  to  send  the  rays  of  light  far  out  to  sea. 
There  were  usually  two  keepers  for  the  light,  so  that  one 
could  watch  while  the  other  slept,  and  thus  the  light 
might  be  kept  burning  all  the  night. 

One  day  the  partner  of  Mr.  Leighton  wished  to  make 
a  trip  to  the  village  several  miles  inland.  He  expected 
to  spend  the  night  in  the  village  so  Mr.  Leighton  would 
have  to  keep  the  light  alone  that  night.  After  taking  his 
partner  to  the  shore  the  keeper  stopped  a  little  while  with 
his  family.  His  little  daughter  begged  to  go  back  to  the 
lighthouse  with  him  and  to  spend  the  night  there.  The 
father  finally  consented.  She  would  be  company  for  him 
and  there  was  no  real  danger  as  there  was  a  comfortable 
bed  in  a  little  room  in  the  towxr  where  the  child  could 
sleep  when  she  became  tired.  As  a  storm  seemed  to  be 
gathering  they  left  for  the  light  early  in  the  afternoon. 
Their  little  boat  put  out  from  shore  and  crept  across  the 
billowy  surface  of  the  sea  toward  the  lighthouse. 

The  storm  came  on  and  developed  rapidly.  By  the 
time  the  boat  reached  the  island,  the  waves  were  run- 
ning high  and  the  winds  blowing  a  gale.  While  making 
a  landing  in  the  storm  the  father  slipped  on  the  wet  rocks 
and  twisted  his  knee  so  violently  that  he  could  not  take 
a  step.  He  crawled  to  the  lighthouse  and  got  upon  the 
bed  in  the  little  room,  but  could  do  no  more.  What 
should  be  done?  The  storm  had  increased  to  such  a 
violence  that  a  return  to  the  shore  was  impossible  even 
had  the  keeper  been  uninjured;  Could  he  ever  climb  the 
hundreds  of  steps  in  the  little  spiral  stair  that  led  up  to 
the  light?  The  keeper  knew  that  he  could  not.  He  was 
less  concerned  about  his  own  injury  than  he  was  about 
the  light;  if  that  failed  to  shine  out  brightly  on  a  night 
so  wild,  ships  were  sure  to  be  driven  in  and  wrecked 
upon  the  rocky  coast. 

The  brave  little  daughter  read  her  father's  thoughts 
and  said,  "You  needn't  worry  father;  I  will  keep  the 
lights    to-night    for    you."      But    the    father    answered. 


196    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

'*  There  is  hardly  any  oil  in  the  lamp,  my  dear ;  I  had  in- 
tended to  fill  it  with  the  oil  we  brought  over  in  that  big 
can  which  is  out  in  the  boat."  The  heart  of  the  keeper 
sank  as  he  remembered  that  there  was  oil  enough  in  the 
lamp  to  burn  only  an  hour  or  so.  The  little  girl  said  that 
she  would  carry  up  oil  and  fill  the  lamp,  and  then  sh-e 
proceeded  to  do  what  she  could  for  her  father,  dressing 
his  wounded  knee  and  tucking  him  in  bed. 

Going  out  to  the  boathouse  she  found  a  small  pail  and 
filled  it  with  oil.  Then  she  climbed  the  long  stair  to  the 
light.  Darkness  was  already  falling  because  it  was  in  the 
time  of  short  winter  days  and  the  clouds  were  heavy. 
She  lighted  the  lamp,  trimmed  the  wicks,  and  saw  that 
it  was  burning  properly.  Opening  a  little  hole  at  one 
side  of  the  reservoir  which  contained  the  oil  she  found  a 
small  stick  and  put  it  down  into  the  reservoir.  Drawing 
it  forth  she  saw  that  there  was  about  three  inches  of  oil 
in  the  bottom  of  the  tank.  She  poured  in  her  pail  of  oil 
and  it  raised  the  surface  slightly.  Then  hastening  down 
she  went  for  more  oil. 

The  night  grew  wild  with  snow  and  the  strong  winds 
made  even  the  huge  stone  tower  tremble  in  their  blast. 
Still  the  brave  little  girl  kept  at  her  tasks.  She  was  up 
in  the  tower  tending  the  light,  down  looking  after  her 
father,  and  out  after  more  oil,  all  in  rapid  succession. 
As  the  hours  wore  on  the  child  found  the  climbing  of  the 
stairs  increasingly  painful.  She  was  ready  to  drop  from 
weariness,  but  she  knew  that  she  must  not  fail.  Measur- 
ing the  oil  in  the  tank  of  the  lantern  from  time  to  time 
she  could  tell  whether  she  was  keeping  up  her  race  with 
the  lamps.  It  was  all  that  she  could  do  to  keep  the  oil 
from  falling  farther  and  farther  down  in  the  tank  and 
she  knew  that  she  must  not  pause  for  long  or  the  lamps 
would  go  out.  Day  broke  at  last  and  the  lights  of  the 
beacon  were  still  shining  brightly  when  daylight  came. 
The  little  heroine  had  won ;  she  had  kept  the  lights  all 
through  the  long,  dark  night. 

Perhaps  this  story  will  help  us  to  understand  a  little 
better  the  heroism  of  the  brave  prophets  who  kept  the 
light  of  God's  truth  in  the  world  at  a  time  when  the  sun 
had  almost  gone  down  upon  the  prophets.     Cai.  you  im- 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS     197 

agine  what  would  be  the  condition  of  the  world  if  there 
were  no  prophets  of  God  in  it ;  if  there  were  no  churches 
with  their  ministers  to  teach  people  and  communities 
and  nations  what  God's  will  is ;  if  there  were  no  Sunday 
schools  where  children  are  taught  about  the  Creator  of 
the  world  who  is  our  Father  in  heaven ;  if  there  were  no 
parents  to  bring  up  their  children  in  the  fear  of  God? 
All  these  people,  ministers,  teachers,  and  parents,  are 
God's  prophets.  What  kind  of  world  would  it  be  in  which 
the  sun  had  gone  down  upon  the  prophets?  It  was  from 
a  world  like  this  that  the  Hebrew  prophets  saved  their 
country  and  their  descendants. 


SUNDAY  SESSION 

SOME  EXCERPTS  FROM  THE  SERMONS  OF  MICAH 

Micah,  chs.  2  to  5 

As  is  the  case  with  Amos,  we  have  only  fragments  from 
the  sermons  which  the  prophet  Micah  preached  to  the 
people  of  his  day.  We  know  even  less  about  the  life  of 
Micah  than  we  do  about  Amos,  but  his  messages  are  no 
less  valuable  because  we  know  little  of  their  author.  We 
are  now  to  study  a  few  of  the  lessons  which  Micah  tried 
to  teach  the  people  of  his  day. 

Arrested  Development.  Micah  evidently  felt  that  a 
part  of  the  trouble  with  the  Hebrews  was  due  to  the 
fact  that  they  had  ceased  to  make  progress.  Coming  into 
Palestine,  they  had  found  it  a  goodly  land.  They  had 
settled  down  and  after  a  time  they  began  to  live  for  ma- 
terial things,  for  houses,  lands,  vineyards,  and  fields.  The 
nation  had  not  gone  forward  in  the  way  God  had  chosen, 
and  when  a  nation  or  an  individual  ceases  to  go  forward, 
that  nation  or  individual  usually  begins  to  go  backward. 
The  nation  on  which  God  was  depending  for  help  in  his 
plans  for  blessing  humanity  had  come  to  a  halt.  The 
prophet's  ringing  challenge  was  intended  to  reawaken 
the  lost  ideals  of  the  people.  "Arise  ye,  and  depart;  for 
this  is  not  your  resting-place;  because   of  uncleanness 


198    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

that    destroyeth,    even    with    a    grievous    destruction." 
Micah  2:10. 

"New  occasions  teach  new  duties;  Time  makes  ancient  good 
uncouth; 

They  must  upward  still,  and  onward,  who  would  keep  abreast 
of  Truth; 

Lo,  before  us  gleam  her  camp-fires!  we  ourselves  must  Pil- 
grims be, 

Launch  our  Mayflower,  and  steer  boldly  through  the  desperate 
winter  sea, 

Nor  attempt  the  Future's  portal  with  the  Past's  blood-rusted 
key." 

God  Not  a  Defender  of  Evildoers.  In  Micah 's  day  there 
was  a  good  deal  of  pious  talk  about  God  as  the  Defender 
of  Israel  It  was  maintained  that  the  Almighty  would 
never  allow  his  city  and  his  Temple  to  be  destroyed. 
Micah  tried  to  show  the  people  who  were  thus  claiming 
God's  protection  that  God  could  not  consistently  continue 
forever  to  protect  those  who  had  rejected  his  command- 
ments and  were  continually  wronging  their  fellow  men. 
Mankind  has  often  fallen  into  the  mistake  of  believing 
God  an  arbitrary  kind  of  despotic  ruler  flattered  by  empty 
praises  and  gorgeous  ceremonials  and  formal  worship, 
and  caring  little  about  the  attitude  of  his  worshipers 
toward  their  fellow  men  so  long  as  they  perform  these 
religious  rites.  Micah  saw  this  fallacy  clearly  and  spoke 
in  no  uncertain  tones,  and  in  the  name  of  Jehovah,  the 
great  truth  that  God  requires  of  all  who  would  worship 
him  right  attitudes  toward  humanity. 

"  Wherewith  shall  I  come  before  Jehovah,  and  bow  myself 
before  the  high  God?  shall  I  come  before  him  with  burnt- 
offerings,  with  calves  a  year  old?  will  Jehovah  be  pleased  with 
thousands  of  rams,  or  with  ten  thousands  of  rivers  of  oil?  shall 
I  give  my  first-born  for  my  transgression,  the  fruit  of  my  body 
for  the  sin  of  my  soul?  He  hath  showed  thee,  O  man,  what  is 
good;  and  what  doth  Jehovah  require  of  thee,  but  to  do  justly, 
and  to  love  kindness,  and  to  walk  humbly  with  thy  God?" — 
Micah  6:6-8. 

Better  Days  to  Come.  It  is  a  remarkable  fact  that  not- 
withstanding the  stern  denunciations  of  sin  which  all  the 
prophets  uttered,  the  messages  of  all  contain  words  of 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS     199 

hope  and  cheer  for  the  faithful  few  who'  had  maintained 
their  spiritual  integrity  and  who  were  true  to  the  God  of 
their  fathers.  Like  the  others,  Micah  ends  his  written 
message  with  the  assurance  that  God  will  not  suffer  his 
cause  to  fail : 

"He  will  again  have  compassion  upon  us;  he  will  tread  our 
iniquities  under  foot;  and  thou  wilt  cast  all  their  sins  into  the 
depths  of  the  sea.  Thou  wilt  perform  the  truth  to  Jacob,  and 
the  lovingkindness  to  Abraham,  which  thou  hast  sworn  unto 
our  fathers  from  days  of  old." — Micah  7:19,  20. 

True  Optimism.  An  optimist  is  a  person  who  takes  a 
hopeful  view  of  present  conditions  and  their  outcome  in 
the  future.  A  pessimist  is  one  who  looks  on  the  dark  side 
of  things.  The  prophets  were  regarded  as  pessimists  by 
many  of  the  people  of  their  day,  but  they  were  really 
optimists.  They  were  true  optimists  whose  faith  that 
right  would  ultimately  triumph  was  well  founded.  Many 
of  their  opponents  were  false  optimists  who  refused  to 
see  the  evil  results  which  must  come  as  a  result  of  the 
nation's  sin. 

A  Divine  Helper  Comes  Within  the  Prophet's  Vision. 
Micah,  like  nearly  all  of  the  prophets,  wrote  certain 
things  which  are  regarded  as  predictions  of  the  coming 
Saviour  of  the  world.  These  great  men  lived  in  such 
close  fellowship  with  God  and  were  so  ardently  devoted 
to  the  doing  of  his  will  that  God  could  reveal  to  them 
something  of  his  great  plans  for  saving  humanity  from 
its  sin  and  failure.  Of  course  even  these  good  men  could 
not  understand  all  of  the  plans  of  God.  They  could  not 
fully  think  God's  thoughts  after  him,  but  they  did  under- 
stand enough  to  believe  that  .God  would  come  to  man's 
rescue  in  a  way  he  had  not  yet  employed.  They  foresaw 
that  a  divine  Deliverer  and  Helper  would  come  to  bring 
complete  and  everlasting  victory  to  the  righteous  cause 
in  its  conflict  with  evil.  These  prophets  were  familiar 
with  David's  ardent  wish  that  his  descendants  should  sit 
on  his  throne  forever.  They  also  knew  that  God  had 
promised  his  servant  that  such  should  be  the  case,  that 
a  Son  of  David  should  arise  who  should  be  the  perfect 
king  and  ideal  ruler.    In  a  later  lesson  we  expect  to  study 

14 


200     INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

in  detail  these  Messianic  utterances  of  the  prophets.  Not 
only  Micah,  but  most  of  the  other  prophets  also,  were 
strengthened  by  this  assurance  of  a  Coming-  One,  who 
should  '*  stand,  and  .  .  .  feed  his  flock  in  the  strength  of 
Jehovah,  in  the  majesty  of  the  name  of  Jehovah  his  God  " 
and  who  should  "  be  great  unto  the  ends  of  the  earth." 

vSiiKLL  Mound  Indians 

Within  the  city  limits  of  the  town  of  Berkeley  on  the 
eastern  border  of  San  Francisco  Bay,  is  a  curious  mound. 
It  covers  an  acre  or  more  and  is  twenty-five  feet  high.  It 
is  composed  of  several  kinds  of  shells  in  various  stages 
of  disintegration,  therefore  it  is  known  as  *'  Shell  Mound." 
A  party  of  scientists  some  years  ago  made  a  study  of  this 
mound.  They  cut  a  trench  through  it  from  center  to 
circumference  and  dug  several  other  deep  pits  into  it. 
These  scientists  tell  us  that  the  mound  was  built  by  the 
Indians.  It  was  not  built  intentionally  and  as  a  monu- 
ment as  the  remarkable  mounds  in  Ohio  and  elsewhere 
were  built.  Shell  Mound  was  built  up  unintentionally 
because  it  was  the  camping  site  of  a  group  of  Indians  for 
thousands  and  thousands  of  years.  The  Indians  of  the 
San  Francisco  Bay  region  used  various  shellfish  as  food. 
They  threw  out  the  shells  around  their  camp  sites  and 
if  they  camped  long  enough  in  one  place  the  surface  of 
the  earth  was  raised  by  the  deposit  of  shells  in  and  about 
the  camp.  How  many  thousands  of  years  it  took  the 
Indians  thus  to  build  up  Shell  Mound  to  a  height  of 
twenty-five  feet  no  one  can  say,  but  the  period  must  have 
been  one  of  many,  many  centuries. 

As  the  scientists  cut  through  the  mound  they  found 
many  interesting  things  which  helped  them  to  read  the 
history  of  the  far-off  days  when  the  little  Indian  village 
stood  there  by  the  sea.  They  found  flint  arrowheads,  and 
little  stones  with  holes  in  them  which  the  Indians  had 
used  as  sinkers  on  their  fishlines.  They  found  human 
skeletons,  the  bones  of  which  were  in  most  cases  covered 
with  a  red  clay.  The  scientists  believed  that  the  clay 
was  there  because  the  Indians  had  covered  the  bodies 
of  their  dead  with  red  clay  before  burial.  They  say 
that  the  custom  was  probably  a  religious  ceremonial  of 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS    201 

some  sort,  that  it  had  to  do  with  the  spirit  world  to  which 
the  Indians  believed  their  dead  began  their  journey  when 
they  departed  from  this  life.  From  the  Berkeley  shore, 
the  sun  sinking  in  red  fire  beyond  the  Golden  Gate  is  now 
a  common  sight  and  it  was  doubtless  the  same  in  the  days 
of  the  Shell  Mound  Indians.  In  some  dim  way  the 
Indians  felt  that  the  red  clay  was  a  fitting  garment  for 
their  dead  as  they  journeyed  to  the  Sunset  Land  some- 
where beyond  the  mysterious  bounds  of  the  western 
ocean. 

Shell  Mound  bears  striking  proof  of  the  lack  of  prog- 
ress in  the  people  who  built  it  out  of  the  refuse  of  their 
kitchens.  The  layers  at  the  base  of  the  mound  are  sep- 
arated from  those  at  the  top  by  twenty-five  feet  or  so  of 
space ;  but  in  time  they  are  separated  by  at  least  as  many 
centuries,  and  yet  there  is  no  sign  of  progress  in  all  that 
vast  stretch  of  time.  There  are  chipped  stone  imple- 
ments at  the  bottom  and  similar  chipped  stone  imple- 
ments at  the  top.  Whatever  else  these  people  may  have 
been,  they  certainly  were  not  progressive. 

Standing  on  Shell  Mound  you  look  off  across  the  bay 
of  San  Francisco  where  ships  from  all  the  world  now  lie 
at  anchor.  Beyond  the  shipping  rises  the  city  on  the 
hills  of  the  Peninsula.  Around  you  lies  a  great  modern 
metropolis.  And  yet  all  that  you  see  from  Shell  Mound 
is  the  product  of  a  very  few  years  of  modern  progress. 
Compared  with  the  ages  represented  in  the  shell  layers 
of  the  mound,  the  time  since  the  coming  of  the  white 
man  to  these  shores  is  brief  indeed.  And  yet  the  changes 
wrought  in  that  time  are  incomparably  greater  than  all 
the  previous  changes  of  man's  long  past  on  the  same 
coast.  Progress  is  a  part  of. God's  plan  for  human  life, 
but  it  is  not  possible  in  any  large  way  without  the  help 
of  the  divine  Creator.  Man  has  made  true  progress  only 
as  he  has  found  God  and  has  learned  to  love  and  obey 
him. 

The:  Lesson  Prayer 

Our  Father,  we  thank  thee  for  the  incentives  which  lead 
us  to  the  efforts  needed  for  spiritual  growth.  We  thank 
thee  for  tasks  that  are  difficult  enough  to  drive  us  to  thee 


202    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

for  council  and  help.  Grant  that  we  may  never  fall  into 
a  state  of  arrested  spiritual  development.  We  would  be 
ever  moving  onward  toward  the  goal  of  perfect  life  and 
perfect  fellowship  with  thee.  Give  us  victory  over  every 
evil  which  would  hinder  our  spiritual  growth.  We  ask 
in  Jesus'  name.    Amen. 

The:  Le:sson  Hymn 

"  Jesus,  thy  boundless  love  to  me 

No  thought  can  reach,  no  tongue  declare; 

O  knit  my  thankful  heart  to  thee. 
And  reign  without  a  rival  there: 

Thine  wholly,  thine  alone,  I  am. 

Be  thou  alone  my  constant  flame. 

"  O  grant  that  nothing  in  my  soul 

May  dwell,  but  thy  pure  love  alone; 
O  may  thy  love  possess  me  whole. 

My  joy,  my  treasure,  and  my  crown: 
Strange  fires  far  from  my  soul  remove; 
My  every  act,  word,  thought,  be  love." 


EXPRESSIONAL  SESSION 

PROGRESS  THE  LAW  OF  LIFE 

Sugge:stions  for  the:  Leade:r's  Ope:ning  Addre:ss 

It  is  a  very  lamentable  fact  that  many  people  who 
undertake  to  lead  a  Christian  life  fail  to  make  much 
progress.  The  author  of  The  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews 
was  writing  to  this  kind  of  people.  He  told  them  that 
they  had  been  professed  followers  of  Christ  long  enough 
to  be  teachers,  but  that  they  were  still  babes  in  need  of 
milk.  We  have  too  many  people  who  remain  perpetual 
babes  of  the  faith.  They  are  born  again,  but  they  never 
grow  up.  Micah  was  writing  to  people  who  had  failed 
to  make  spiritual  progress.  They  had  fallen  into  the 
mistake  of  living  upon  the  past.  They  were  proud  to  be 
called  Abraham's  children  but  they  had  nothing  of  Abra- 
ham's noble  venturesomeness  for  God. 

Growth  is  the  law  of  normal  life.    There  is  a  time  when 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS    203 

our  bodies  must  grow  or  everything  goes  wrong.  Parents 
are  very  uneasy  when  the  scales  show,  week  after  week, 
that  their  baby  is  not  becoming  heavier.  They  are  still 
more  alarmed  if  they  discover  that  their  child  is  making 
no  intellectual  progress.  But  we  are  not  always  so  con- 
cerned as  we  should  be  about  spiritual  growth,  and  yet 
this  is  the  most  important  of  all.  Physical  growth  has 
very  definite  limits.  Some  of  us  grow  faster  and  for  a 
longer  time  than  others  and  thus  become  larger,  but  there 
are  certain  definite  limits  as  to  size  and  as  to  time,  be- 
yond which  it  is  safe  to  predict  that  none  of  us  will  go 
in  matters  of  physical  growth.  Intellectual  growth  is  set 
about  by  far  less  limited  and  far  less  definite  bounds. 
We  can  grow  intellectually  for  a  long  time,  almost  as 
long  as  we  live.  We  do  not  learn  perhaps  so  fast  in  old 
age  as  in  youth,  but  we  can  still  learn.  There  are  abso- 
lutely no  limits  as  to  spiritual  growth.  The  longer  we 
live  the  deeper  may  be  our  love,  the  more  perfect  our 
purity,  and  the  greater  our  strength  of  character. 

Study  Topics 

1.  Name  Some  Hindrances  to  Spiritual  Growth  in  the 
Individual. 

2.  Name  Some  Helps  to  Spiritual  Growth  in  the 
Individual. 

3.  How  Does  the  Christian  Church  Help  a  Nation  to 
Be  Progressive? 

4.  How  Can  We  Know  What  Is  True  Progress? 

5.  Name  Some  Things  in  Which  Every  Christian 
Ought  to  Be  Making  Progress. 

Ve:rsks  foR  Use:  in  the:  Me:e:ting 

Ps.  92:12;  Hos.  14:5,  6;  Matt.  6:28;  Mark  4:26-29; 
Eph.  2  :21 ;  I  Peter  2  :2. 

Committee  to  Be  Appointed 

Committee  on  Community  Progress,  to  report  on  the 
present  moral  and  spiritual  condition  of  the  community 
as  compared  with  former  times.     Is  our  community  im- 


204    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

proving-  in  such  matters  as:  (1)  The  keeping  of  the  Sab- 
bath; (2)  the  enforcement  of  the  prohibition  law;  (3)  the 
kind  of  public  amusements;  (4)  church  attendance? 

The:  Class  Code: 

The  Law  of  Spiritual  Progress.  Progress  is  a  law  of 
all  life.    Therefore : 

1.  We  will  strive  for  physical  progress.  We  will  seek 
to  become  strong  in  body  that  we  may  do  our  work  in 
the  world  faithfully  and  efficiently. 

2.  We  will  strive  after  intellectual  progress.  We  will 
seek  to  know  more  and  more  of  God's  truth  that  we  may 
serve  him  and  our  fellow  men  better  than  we  otherwise 
could. 

3.  We  will  strive  after  spiritual  progress.  W^e  will 
seek  to  become  more  and  more  what  God  would  have  us 
become  as  his  children  created  in  his  likeness. 


CHAPTER  XVII 

HOSEA  PREACHES  GOD'S  COMPASSIONATE 
LOVE 

WEEK  DAY  SESSION 

HOW  HOSEA  LEARNED  THE  COMPASSIONATE 
LOVE  OF  GOD 

Hos.j  chs.  6  to  8 

On  the  walls  of  the  Boston  public  library,  there  is  a 
series  of  remarkable  pictures  by  the  great  painter, 
Sargent.  The  pictures  are  the  artist's  conception  of  the 
Hebrew  prophets.  In  them  he  has  sought  to  bring  out 
their  several  distinguishing  characteristics.  There  is 
Elijah  with  strong,  clear,  and  courageous  countenance, 
just  the  kind  of  man  to  face  a  wicked  Ahab  and  rebuke 
him  for  his  sin.  There  is  Amos,  leaning  on  his  shep- 
herd's crook.  One  of  the  most  striking  pictures  is  that 
of  Hosea.  He  is  dressed  in  pure  white  from  head  to  foot. 
Only  his  face  and  one  hand  are  visible,  yet  the  author  has 
in  some  skillful  way  made  the  face  and  the  hand  tell  a 
wonderful  story  of  purity,  sorrow,  and  lofty  religious 
emotion,  all  blended  into  one  personality  of  strength  and 
heroism. 

Hosea's  home  was  probably  in  the  Northern  Kingdom 
and  he  lived  about  the  same  time  as  the  prophet  Amos, 
though  his  preaching  was  somewhat  later  than  that  of 
the  great  prophet  of  Tekoa.  In  the  opening  chapters  of 
the  prophecy  of  Hosea  we  are  given  what  seems  to  be  a 
picture  of  his  own  life,  some  bitter  experiences  through 
which  he  came  to  know  the  compassionate  love  of  God 
better  than  any  of  the  other  prophets  knew  it,  better  per- 
haps than  any  other  man  of  Old  Testament  times. 

An  Unfaithful  Wife  and  a  Ruined  Home.  If  we  are  to 
think  of  the  first  chapters  of  the  prophecy  of  Hosea  as 
being  an  account  of  his  personal  experiences,  something 

205 


206     INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

like  the  following  facts  seem  to  be  indicated :  He  had 
married  a  certain  woman  named  Gomer.  This  woman 
turned  out  to  be  entirely  unworthy  of  such  a  husband. 
She  lived  a  sinful,  shameful  life.  Dreadful  years  they 
must  have  been  to  Hosea  when  the  woman  he  loved  was 
bringing  him  so  much  of  shame  and  sorrow !  The  time 
came  when  Hosea  seems  to  have  given  up  hope  that  his 
wife  could  ever  be  won  back  from  the  evil  way  she  had 
chosen.  He  said  of  her,  **  She  is  not  my  wife,  neither  am 
I  her  husband." 

Just  such  an  experience  as  this  has  been  the  ruin  of 
multitudes  of  men.  The  inmates  of  our  prisons  and  peni- 
tentiaries and  the  hopeless  tramps  who  wander  up  and 
down  our  land  are  in  many  cases  the  product  of  some 
such  domestic  tragedy  as  Hosea  seems  to  have  experi- 
enced. Faith  in  Jehovah  saved  the  prophet  from  this 
sad  fate  and  turned  all  his  sorrows  into  a  great  blessing 
to  him  and  to  the  world.  The  Bible  speaks  a  great  truth 
when  it  tells  us  that  *'  all  things  work  together  for  good  " 
to  those  who  love  God. 

A  Love  That  Could  Not  Die.  Perhaps  Hosea  thought 
that  he  was  through  with  this  bad  woman  when  he  dis- 
owned her.  Hot  indignation  burned  within  him  at  the 
immeasurable  wrong  she  had  committed.  But  Hosea 
was  one  of  that  type  of  men  in  whom  the  love  instinct 
once  alive  can  never  die.  He  could  not  forget  her.  He 
could  not  keep  his  anger  against  her  forever.  His  anger 
burned  itself  out  in  time  and  left  behind  a  compassionate 
love  which  lived  on  though  all  hope  of  a  reformation,  for 
his  wandering  wife  seems  to  have  forsaken  him. 

Bought  Back  as  a  Slave.  Gomer  was  long  absent  from 
the  household  of  Hosea.  She  found,  as  so  many  before 
her  time  had  found  and  as  so  many  since  her  day  have 
found,  that  "  the  way  of  the  transgressor  is  hard."  She 
sank  from  one  station  to  another.  At  last  she  became  a 
slave  and  was  offered  for  sale  in  the  market  place.  There 
her  former  husband  saw  her,  wretched,  poor,  hopeless,  a 
miserable  being  shipwrecked  in  mind  and  soul.  All  the 
resentment  faded  away  from  the  heart  of  Hosea  and  he 
was  filled  with  a  great  compassion.  The  love  with  which 
he  had  loved  her  in  the  days  of  her  girlhood  was  still 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS    207 

alive.  There  was  no  word  of  reproof,  but  the  great-souled 
prophet  bought  back  his  former  wife.  He  paid  for  her 
with  fifteen  pieces  of  silver  and  a  homer  and  a  half  of 
barley.  He  rescued  her  from  the  miserable  condition  into 
which  she  had  sunk.  He  did  not  restore  her,  however, 
to  the  sacred  place  from  which  she  had  so  wickedly  turned 
away;  at  least,  he  did  not  do  this  at  once.  He  announced 
his  intention  to  keep  her  many  days  as  no  man's  wife, 
and  not  as  his  own.  Whether  his  great-souled  kindness 
and  forgiveness  finally  led  her  to  repentance  and  to  a  full 
restoration,  we  do  not  know.  The  prophet  does  not  say. 
VVe  only  know  that  through  this  tragic  experience  the 
prophet  came  to  know  more  fully  than  any  man  of  his 
day  the  compassionate  love  of  Jehovah  for  his  people. 
It  helped  him  to  understand  how  God  felt  toward  the 
Hebrew  people  whom  he  had  loved  and  blessed  but  who 
had  turned  away  from  him  to  walk  in  wickedness  and  to 
worship  the  vile  idols  of  their  pagan  neighbors.  It 
helped  him  to  know  how  great  and  enduring  the  love  of 
God  is ;  how  it  lives  on  through  all  the  transgressions  of 
men  and  ever  seeks  to  bring  the  wanderers  home  to  the 
Father's  house. 

Th^  Love)  That  WilIv  Not  Let  Us  Go 

The  prophet  Hosea  is  not  the  only  person  of  history 
who  has  learned  about  God's  love  through  some  deep  dis- 
appointment and  sorrow.  About  the  middle  of  the  last 
century  a  young  theological  student  was  living  in  Scot- 
land. He  was  engaged  to  be  married  to  a  young  Scotch 
woman  as  soon  as  he  should  complete  his  studies  in  the 
theological  school.  Young  Matheson  began  to  have 
serious  difficulty  with  his  eyes  during  his  last  year  at 
school  and  finally  went  to  consult  a  specialist.  He  was 
surprised  and  saddened  when  he  was  told  by  the  specialist 
that  in  a  few  weeks  he  would  in  all  probability  be  en- 
tirely blind.  He  thought  the  situation  over.  Could  he 
expect  to  earn  a  living  for  himself  and  his  wife  if  he  were 
only  a  poor,  blind  preacher?  He  felt  that  he  ought  to  tell 
the  woman  who  was  to  become  his  wife  just  what  the 
situation  was  and  then  give  her  a  chance  to  break  ofif  the 
engagement.     Because  the  man  she  expected  to  marry 


208    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS     . 

was  threatened  with  blindness  this  young  woman  ac- 
cepted his  offer  to  have  the  engagement  broken.  It  must 
have  been  that  she  did  not  love  the  young  student  in  any 
real  way,  or  perhaps  she  was  of  the  shallow  type  in- 
capable of  deep  and  true  affection ;  for  if  her  love  had 
been  deep  and  genuine  the  threatened  disaster  to  the  one 
she  loved  would  have  made  her  love  for  him  only  the 
greater.  George  Matheson,  like  the  prophet  of  whom  we 
have  been  studying,  learned  to  know  the  abiding  love  of 
God  more  perfectly  through  this  painful  experience. 
Young  people  have  not  usually  met  these  experiences  of 
deep  disappointment  which  help  the  soul  to  understand 
more  perfectly  the  goodness  and  the  constancy  of  God, 
but  most  people  meet  such  experiences  some  time  in  life 
and  it  is  a  good  thing  to  learn  about  them,  even  when 
we  are  young,  that  we  may  know  how  to  interpret  them 
when  they  come  to  tis.  Unless  we  meet  these  experiences 
with  faith  and  trust,  they  are  apt  to  be,  not  a  blessing, 
but  an  injury  to  us.  The  truths  we  have  been  consider- 
ing are  beautifully  expressed  in  the  hymn  which  George 
Matheson  wrote  after  his  engagement  was  broken. 

"  O  Love  that  wilt  not  let  me  go, 
I  rest  my  weary  soul  in  thee; 
I  give  thee  back  the  life  I  owe, 
That  in  thine  ocean  depths  its  flow 
May  richer,  fuller  be. 

"  O  Light  that  followest  all  my  way, 
I  yield  my  flickering  torch  to  thee; 
My  heart  restores  its  borrowed  ray, 
That  in  thy  sunshine's  blaze  its  day 
May  brighter,  fairer  be." 


SUNDAY  SESSION 

THE  GOSPEL  OF  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT 
Hos.,  chs.  11  to  14 

The  prophecy  of  Hosea  has  been  called  "The  Gospel 
of  the  Old  Testament."  It  is  given  this  name  because 
the  ideas  as  to  the  fatherhood  of  God  which  are  found  in 
this  prophecy  are  more  like  the  teachings  of  Jesus  than 


210     INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

this  compassion  of  God  for  his  children  who  deserve  his 
wrath  and  punishment.  These  words  have  been  called 
the  utterances  of  "  a  God  in  tears  "  and  indeed  there  is 
the  sound  of  weeping  in  them  to  all  who  catch  their  true 
import : 

"How  shall  I  give  thee  up,  Ephraim?  how  shall  I  cast  thee 
off,  Israel?  how  shall  I  make  thee  as  Admah?  how  shall  I  set 
thee  as  Zeboiim?  my  heart  is  turned  within  me,  my  compas- 
sions are  kindled  together.  I  will  not  execute  the  fierceness  of 
mine  anger,  I  will  not  return  to  destroy  Ephraim:  for  I  am  God, 
and  not  man;  the  Holy  One  in  the  midst  of  thee;  and  I  will  not 
come  in  wrath." — Hos.  11:8,  9. 

A  Father's  Pleading.  A  tone  of  earnest  pleading  may 
be  heard  in  many  passages  of  Hosea.  When  we  read 
such  passages  as  the  following  we  feel  that  God  is  in- 
finitely concerned  in  the  v/elfare  and  happiness  of  his 
children.  He  does  not  say :  "  Evil  and  good  are  before 
you ;  take  your  choice.  If  ye  choose  good  ye  shall  live ; 
if  ye  choose  evil  ye  shall  die."  He  is  infinitely  anxious 
that  his  children  choose  the  good.  He  pleads  with  earnest 
words  and  kind : 

"O  Israel,  return  unto  Jehovah  thy  God;  for  thou  hast  fallen 
by  thine  iniquity.  Take  with  you  words,  and  return  unto  Je- 
hovah: say  unto  him.  Take  away  all  iniquity,  and  accept  that 
which  is  good:  so  will  we  render  as  bullocks  the  offering  of  our 
lips.  Assyria  shall  not  save  us;  we  will  not  ride  upon  horses; 
neither  will  we  say  any  more  to  the  work  of  our  hands.  Ye  are 
our  gods;  for  in  thee  the  fatherless  findeth  mercy. 

I  will  heal  their  backsliding,  I  will  love  them  freely;  for  mine 
anger  is  turned  away  from  him.  I  will  he  as  the  dew  unto 
Israel;  he  shall  blossom  as  the  lily,  and  cast  forth  his  roots  as 
Lebanon.  His  branches  shall  spread,  and  his  beauty  shall  be 
as  the  olive-tree,  and  his  smell  as  Lebanon.  They  that  dwell 
under  his  shadow  shall  return;  and  they  shall  revive  as  the 
grain,  and  blossom  as  the  vine:  the  scent  thereof  shall  be  as  the 
wine  of  Lebanon.  Ephraim  shall  say,  What  have  I  to  do  any 
more  with  idols?" — Hos.  14:1-8. 

Had  the  people  of  Israel  but  heeded  the  prophet's  mes- 
sage from  God  and  come  with  the  earnest  words  on  their 
lips  which  God  suggested  to  them  as  a  fitting  prayer, 
how  different  their  history  might  have  been !     Surely  we 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS    211 

cannot  read  these  words  of  the  prophet  without  coming 
to  know  more  perfectly  the  greatness  and  the  beauty  of 
the  love  of  God  for  his  people ! 

Sin  as  Seen  in  the  Light  of  God's  Love.  The  other 
prophets  denounce  the  sins  of  the  Israelites  in  no  uncer- 
tain terms,  but  it  is  in  the  writings  of  Hosea  that  we  feel 
the  supreme  awfulness  of  sin.  This  is  because  in  these 
prophecies  sin  is  seen  against  the  background  of  God's 
compassionate,  pleading  love.  What  more  could  God  do 
to  save  his  children?  He  had  bestowed  great  blessings 
but  they  had  used  these  gifts  selfishly  and  made  of  them 
a  hindrance  rather  than  a  help  to  spiritual  progress.  He 
had  sent  warnings  and  made  clear  the  terrible  conse- 
quences of  transgression,  but  they  had  heeded  his  warn- 
ings not  at  all.  He  had  pleaded  with  an  infinite  yearning 
and  a  compassionate  love  speaking  through  every  word, 
but  they  would  not  hear.  They  must  go  on  and  suffer 
some  of  the  consequences  of  their  transgressions,  but 
God's  resources  were  not  yet  exhausted.  The  love  of 
God  would  yet  find  a  way.  When  we  take  up  the  study 
of  the  New  Testament  we  shall  see  how  God  kept  on  with 
his  plans  for  saving  his  chosen  people  and  all  the  people 
of  the  earth. 

The  Dovmfall  of  the  Hebrew  Nation  Due  to  the  Disin- 
tegration of  the  Home.  It  is  probable  that  poor  Gomer, 
the  unfaithful  wife  of  Hosea,  was  only  following  the 
fashion  of  the  times  when  she  left  her  faithful  husband 
for  a  gay  but  evil  life.  The  downfall  of  the  Hebrew  na- 
tion was  due  to  the  failure  of  the  home  life  of  the  He- 
brews. The  people  forgot  to  carry  the  precepts  of 
Jehovah  in  their  hearts  and  to  teach  them  diligently  to 
their  children.  God  had  sought. to  make  the  home  life  of 
the  people  righteous  and  pure.  He  had  sought  to  set  up 
a  just  ixud  efficient  government  in  the  homes.  He  had 
commanded  that  obedience  and  discipline  should  abide 
there. 

"  Honor  thy  father  and  thy  mother,  that  thy  days  may 
be  long  in  the  land  which  Jehovah  thy  God  giveth  thee." 
Ex.  20 :12.  This  is  not  only  a  commandment  with  a 
promise  of  long  life  for  the  individual  who  honors  father 
and  mother,  but  a  commandment  with  a  promise  of  long 


212     INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

life  for  any  nation  made  np  of  such  individuals.  Where 
fathers  and  mothers  are  honored,  the  nation  has  a  sta- 
bility which  nothing  else  can  give.  Disobedience  to  God 
and  to  the  State  begins  with  disobedience  to  parents.  If 
the  Hebrews  had  kept  the  Fifth  Commandment  faithfully, 
it  would  have  saved  them  from  many  of  the  sins  which 
ultimately  wrecked  the  nation. 

Tied  to  His  Mother's  Apron  Strings 
In  the  early  days  of  Ohio  a  certain  family  moved  into 
the  great  woods  some  miles  south  of  Lake  Erie.  It  took 
a  good  many  months  of  hard  work  to  build  the  little  cabin 
and  make  a  clearing  large  enough  to  see  a  small  circle  of 
the  sky.  In  a  few  years  they  had  quite  a  field  cleared  of 
the  trees  and  stumps.  Then  a  great  sorrow  came  to  the 
little  home.  One  day  a  great  fire  was  sweeping  through 
the  forests  and  the  father  of  this  family  went  with  other 
settlers  to  fight  the  flames  away  from  their  fields  and 
dwellings.  They  worked  hard  all  night  in  the  fierce  heat. 
When  the  fires  were  well  down,  the  father  returned  home 
and  sat  wearily  by  the  open  door  of  his  cabin  while  the 
cool  breezes  fanned  his  fevered  cheeks.  He  contracted  a 
severe  cold  and  sore  throat  and  in  a  few  hours  he  was 
dead. 

The  mother  was  left  with  a  family  of  four  little  chil- 
dren, but  she  was  a  heroic  woman  and  she  resolved  to 
keep  the  farm  and  to  hold  the  family  together.  One  of 
the  children,  whom  we  shall  call  Jimmie,  was  hardly  more 
than  a  baby  when  his  father  died.  He  grew  up  knowing 
what  hard  work  was  almost  from  his  infancy.  His  mother 
was  a  wise,  strong  woman  and  she  taught  her  children  to 
honor  her  and  obey  her.  She  used  to  take  Jimmie  on  her 
knee  every  night  and  tell  him  Bible  stories.  She  used  to 
say  to  him,  **  Jimmie  you  must  never  tell  a  lie  to  any 
person,  because  it's  wrong,  Jimmie."  She  told  him  that 
she  hoped  that  when  he  grew  to  be  a  man  he  would  never 
drink,  or  swear,  or  use  tobacco.  She  did  not  tell  him 
that  these  things  would  get  him  into  trouble,  but  she 
emphasized  the  fact  that  they  are  wrong.  So  Jimmie 
grew  up  with  a  wholesome  reverence  for  all  right  things 
and  a  deep  antipathy  toward  things  that  are  wrong. 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS    213 

After  a  time  Jimmie  went  away  to  school.  He  was  an 
ambitious  lad  and  hoped  to  make  a  name  for  himself  in 
the  world.  He  had  dreams,  too,  of  being  able  to  give  his 
hard-working  little  mother  a  home  of  comfort  in  her  old 
age.  Not  all  the  boys  of  this  school  had  been  blessed 
with  mothers  like  Jimmie's.  Some  of  the  boys  liked  to 
disobey  the  rules  of  the  school  and  to  engage  in  other 
things  that  were  wrong.  They  soon  found  that  Jimmie 
was  no  boy  to  be  easily  led  into  evil.  He  would  say, 
"  Aly  mother  taught  me  not  to  do  that."  The  boys 
laughed  at  him  a  great  deal.  They  called  him  a  *'  sissy  " 
and  said  that  he  was  "  tied  to  his  mother's  apron  strings." 
After  a  while  they  would  say,  whenever  some  question- 
able project  was  being  considered,  '*  Oh,  there's  no  use  to 
ask  Jim  ;  his  mother  has  told  him  not  to  do  it." 

Jimmie  was  always  good-natured  and  the  boys  could 
not  help  liking  him.  He  was  respected  even  by  the  boys 
who  were  foremost  in  teasing  him  about  his  sensitive 
conscience.  One  day  a  large  number  of  the  boys  of  the 
school  were  spending  a  night  camping  in  the  woods. 
They  had  played  games  and  told  stories  and  were  sitting 
around  the  blazing  camp  fire.  There  came  a  pause  in  the 
conversation  and  Jimmie  pulled  a  little  Testament  out  of 
his  pocket.  He  said :  "  Fellows,  I  have  long  been  accus- 
tomed to  read  a  few  verses  from  the  Bible  and  to  pray 
before  going  to  bed.  If  you  don't  mind,  I  will  do  so  now 
and  I  would  be  glad  to  have  you  join  with  me  in  this 
reading  and  prayer."  A  deep  silence  came  over  the  com- 
pany and  Jimmie  read  a  part  of  a  chapter,  then  offered  a 
brief  prayer,  and  all  went  quietly  to  bed. 

Was  Jimmy  a  sissy?  Not  a  bit  of  it.  A  few  months 
later  he  Avas  teaching  school  where  he  had  half  a  dozen 
pupils  older  than  he  was.  It  was  considered  a  very  hard 
school  to  teach,  but  Jimmie  made  a  success  of  it.  When 
the  Civil  War  came  on,  Jimmie  was  one  of  the  first  to 
enlist.  After  the  battle  of  Chickamauga,  he  received 
word  that  he  had  been  elected  to  Congress.  He  hesitated 
to  leave  the  army,  but  finally  decided  that  he  could  do 
more  for  his  country  in  Congress  than  he  could  as  an 
officer  in  the  army. 

Jimmie  was  promoted  from  one  position  of  responsi- 


214    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

bility  to  another.  The  time  came  when  he  stood  on  the 
steps  of  the  Capitol  at  Washington  to  take  the  oath  as 
President  of  the  United  States.  Having  taken  the  solemn 
oath  to  support  the  Constitution  and  the  laws,  he  stooped 
and  kissed  the  open  Bible,  then  turned  to  receive  the  con- 
gratulations of  the  waiting  throngs.  There  were  senators 
and  governors  of  states  and  foreign  ambassadors  waiting 
to  grasp  the  new  President's  hand  and  bid  him  Godspeed, 
but  passing  these  by,  for  the  time,  the  President  stooped 
to  kiss  the  cheeks  of  a  little  old  woman  who  had  been 
seated  near  him  all  the  while.  In  the  hour  of  his  triumph 
and  responsibility  his  first  greetings  were  for  his  mother. 
Great  and  good  men  like  James  A.  Garfield  have  usually 
been  boys  who  were  '*  tied  to  their  mother's  apron 
strings." 

The:  Ldsson  Praye:r 

O  God,  our  Father,  we  thank  thee  for  our  homes  and 
our  loved  ones.  Help  us  to  make  our  homes  all  that  they 
should  be.  Help  us  to  be  thoughtful  of  the  comfort  and 
happiness  of  all  the  inmates  of  our  homes.  Help  those 
of  us  who  have  parents  to  honor  them,  in  all  things,  and 
to  obey  them  cheerfully.  Forgive  us  for  our  failure  to 
do  thy  will  perfectly  and  help  us  to  grow  strong  in  self- 
control  and  in  service.    Amen. 

The:  Lesson  Hymn 

"  Now  thank  we  all  our  God 

With  heart  and  hands  and  voices, 
Who  wondrous  things  hath  done, 

In  whom  his  world  rejoices; 
Who,  from  our  mothers'  arms, 

Hath  blessed  us  on  our  way 
With  countless  gifts  of  love, 

And  still  is  ours  to-day. 

"  O  may  this  bounteous  God 

Through  all  our  life  be  near  us, 
With  ever  joyful  hearts 

And  blessed  peace  to  cheer  us; 
And  keep  us  in  his  grace, 

And  guide  us  when  perplexed. 
And  free  us  from  all  ills 

In  this  world  and  the  next. 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS    215 

"  All  praise  and  thanks  to  God, 

The  Father,  now  be  given. 
The  Son,  and  him  who  reigns 

With  them  in  highest  heaven, 
The  One  Eternal  God 

Whom  earth  and  heaven  adore; 
For  thus  it  was,  is  now. 

And  shall  be  evermore." 


EXPRESSIONAL  SESSION 

HONORING  FATHER  AND  MOTHER 
Sugge:stions  for  the  Leader's  Opening  Address 

The  Bible  commands  children  to  honor  their  fathers 
and  mothers.  This  is  a  more  far-reaching  commandment 
than  Paul's  commandment  to  children  to  obey  their 
parents.  It  is  possible  to  have  obedience  without  honor. 
If  a  child  obeys  from  fear,  and  is  all  the  time  filled  with 
feelings  of  resentment,  there  is  only  external  obedience. 
On  the  other  hand,  if  a  child  honors  a  parent,  he  will 
have  the  spirit  of  obedience.  Jesus  is  our  pattern  for 
obedience  to  parents,  quite  as  truly  as  he  is  our  pattern 
in  other  virtues.  We  are  told  that  after  his  experience 
at  Jerusalem  when  he  was  twelve  years  old,  he  went  down 
to  Nazareth  and  '*  was  subject  unto  "  his  parents. 

The  Chinese  nation  is  one  of  the  oldest  in  the  world. 
The  civilization  of  the  Chinese  has  many  defects  but  it 
has  one  great  virtue,  namely,  respect  for  parents.  This 
virtue  has  given  a  stability  to  the  Chinese  character  which 
is  very  marked.  Our  nation  has  much  to  learn  in  this 
matter.  We  must  seek  to  have  well-governed  homes  if 
we  are  to  be  a  strong  and  well-governed  nation. 

Study  Topics 

1.  Dififerent  Ways  of  Carrying  on  Family  Worship. 

2.  Books  Suitable  for  the  Home  Library. 

3.  Songs  Suitable  for  the  Fireside. 

4.  My  Favorite  Pictures  for  the  Home. 

15 


216    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH   SCHOOL  LESSONS 

5.  Recreations  in  Which  the  Family  May  Unite. 

6.  Home  Life  in  Palestine  in  the  Days  of  Jesus. 

7.  Forces  of  Our  Times  Which  Tend  to  Destroy 
Home  Life  and  How  to  Overcome  Them. 

8.  **The  Cotter's  Saturday  Night"  as  a  Picture  of 
Scottish  Home  Life. 

9.  How  We  Can  Help  Our  Parents. 

10.  The  Home  Life  of  Great  Americans. 

Vhrses  for  Vst  IN  the:  Me:eting 

Ex.  20 :12  ;  Deut.  6:6, '7;  Ps.  128  :3  ;  Luke  2  :51 ;  Eph.  6  :1 ; 
I  Tim.  5:4;  II  Tim.  1:5. 

Committees  to  Be  Appointed 

Parents'  Committee,  to  plan  for  holding  a  class  social 
to  which  parents  are  to  be  invited.  Family  Altar  Com- 
mittee, to  find  out  how  many  pupils  of  the  class  have 
family  prayers  at  home  and  to  encourage  family  worship 
in  all  homes  coming  under  the  influence  of  the  class. 

The  Ceass  Code 

The  Law  of  Respect  for  Parents.  Children  owe  to 
their  parents  a  debt  of  gratitude  which  they  can  never 
pay;  moreover,  God  has  commanded  children  to  honor 
and  obey  their  parents.    Therefore : 

1.  We  will  endeavor  to  render  prompt  and  cheerful 
obedience  to  our  parents. 

2.  We  will  honor  our  parents  by  always  addressing 
them  kindly  and  courteously  and  by  being  thoughtful  for 
their  welfare  and  comfort. 

3.  We  will  love  our  parents,  knowing  that  they  love 
us  more  than  we  can  understand.  We  will  try  to  keep 
our  affection  for  them  pure,  deep,  and  expressive. 


CHAPTER  XVIII 

JEREMIAH:  HEROIC  PROPHET  OF  DECLINING 

JUDAH 

WEEK  DAY  SESSION 

THE  PERSECUTIONS  OF  A  PROPHET 

Jer.,  chs.  37  to  39 

Other  prophets  had  foreseen  the  ultimate  fate  of  the 
Jewish  nation  from  afar,  hut  it  was  the  lot  of  the 
prophet  Jeremiah  to  live  during  the  last  fearful  months 
when  the  Babylonian  armies  were  battering  the  walls  of 
Jerusalem  and  the  doomed  city  was  tottering  to  its  fall. 
The  period  of  his  prophesying  covers  more  than  forty 
years.  He  saw  five  different  kings  on  the  throne  of 
Judah  and  he  saw  the  end  of  the  kingdom  and  the  de- 
struction of  the  city  and  Temple. 

A  Priest  Who'  Became  a  Prophet.  The  Jewish  priests 
were  generally  more  concerned  about  the  forms  of  re- 
ligion than  they  were  about  its  spirit.  They  took  care 
that  the  sacrifices  should  be  duly  offered  in  the  Temple 
and  that  the  religious  festivals  should  be  observed,  but 
they  took  little  interest  in  the  maintenance  of  justice  and 
moral  uprightness  in  the  nation.  It  is  good  to  know  that 
there  was  at  least  one  exception.  Jeremiah  was  a  priest. 
He  lived  in  Anathoth,  a  town  set  aside  for  the  priests  and 
located  three  miles  north  of  Jerusalem.  The  call  of  God 
came  to  him  to  be  a  prophet  when  he  was  still  quite 
young.  He  was  a  humble  man  and  pleaded  to  be  excused 
from  the  solemn  obligations  of  the  prophetic  office,  but 
God  told  him  that  he  had  long  been  chosen  to  be  a 
prophet  of  the  Most  High,  that  even  before  he  was  born, 
the  Almighty  had  chosen  him  to  be  his  spokesman  in  the 
strenuous  times  which  were  drawing  near. 

A  Lonely  Man  with  a  Great  Heart  of  Love.  As  we 
glean  bits  of  the  biography  of  this  great  man  from  the 
passages  in  his  writings  where  incidentally  he  mentions 

217 


218    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH   SCHOOL  LESSONS 

himself,  we  are  impressed  with  his  loneHness.  During 
the  awful  years  just  before  the  final  overthrow  of  Jeru- 
salem, he  stood  alone.  No  brother  prophets  stood  by  his 
side  and  shared  his  persecutions.  He  had  neither  wife 
nor  child  for  he  had  foreseen  the  times  of  disaster  just 
ahead  and  had  never  married.  This  childless  man  had 
a  father's  love  and  compassion,  for  other  people's  children. 
He  was  within  the  walls  of  Jerusalem  when  famine  and 
pestilence  rested  like  a  consuming  blight  on  the  childhood 
of  the  city. 

"  Mine  eyes  do  fail  with  tears,  my  heart  is  troubled;    .    .    . 
Because  the  young  children  and  the  sucklings   swoon  in  the 

streets  of  the  city. 
They  say  to  their  mothers,  Where  is  grain  and  wine? 
When  they  swoon  as  the  wounded  in  the  streets  of  the  city, 
When  their  soul  is  poured  out  into  their  mothers'  bosom." 

—Lam.  2:11,  12. 

"  Oh  that  my  head  were  waters,  and  mine  eyes  a  fountain  of 
tears,  that  I  might  weep  day  and  night  for  the  slain  of  the 
daughter  of  my  people!" — Jer.  9:1. 

The  age  of  Jeremiah  stands  forever  condemned  before 
the  world  because  it  had  for  this  tender-hearted  and 
weeping  prophet  only  revilings  and  persecutions.  De- 
clining Judah  was  not  worthy  of  him. 

Persecutions  Begin.  Jeremiah  began  to  preach  in  his 
own  town.  He  spoke  plainly  against  the  sins  of  the 
times  and  said  that  destruction  for  the  city  and  the  nation 
would  surely  come  unless  the  people  should  repent.  In- 
stead of  repenting,  the  people  of  the  town  were  filled  with 
rage  against  the  man  who  had  dared  to  tell  them  of  their 
sins  and  to  predict  the  destruction  of  the  nation.  They 
plotted  against  their  fellow  townsman  and  told  him  that 
they  would  kill  him  if  he  talked  in  this  way  any  more. 
Jeremiah  left  the  country  town.  But  he  had  not  been 
frightened  away.  He  went  where  opposition  would  be 
more  serious,  and  would  not  satisfy  itself  with  empty 
threats.  He  went  into  Jerusalem  and  preached  there  as 
he  had  done  in  Anathoth.  It  was  not  many  days  before 
he  found  himself  in  the  stocks.  With  feet  and  hands 
held  between  great  beams  of  wood,  he  sat  all  day  and 
received  the  jeers  of  the  passing  crowds.     His  enemies 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS    219 

thought  that  humiliation  would  stop  his  mouth,  but  it 
did  not.    He  kept  right  on  preaching. 

Jerusalem  Besieged.  It  was  not  long  before  Nebu- 
chadnezzar's army  was  at  the  gates  of  Jerusalem.  The 
terrified  inhabitants  of  the  country  and  smaller  towns  had 
fled,  panic-stricken,  before  the  advancing  army  of  Babylon 
and  had  come  pouring  into  Jerusalem,  thus  greatly  in- 
creasing its  population.  The  Babylonians  encircled  the 
city  and  raised  great  mounds  of  earth  against  it.  From 
the  summits  of  these  mounds  they  could  shoot  their 
spears  and  arrows  into  the  city,  since  their  mounds  over- 
topped the  city  walls.  They  brought  their  battering-rams 
up  to  the  walls,  and  day  and  night  the  thunderous  beat- 
ing of  the  great  iron-headed  rams  could  be  heard  crush- 
ing their  way  through  the  masonry. 

The  True  Prophets  and  the  False  Prophets  Face  Each 
Other.  The  king  of  Judah  was  troubled.  He  wondered 
what  the  end  would  be.  He  had  not  honored  God,  but 
he  felt  the  need  of  him  in  this  hour  of  peril.  He  called 
together  those  who  professed  to  be  prophets  of  Jehovah 
and  asked  them  what  the  end  would  be.  Would  the 
Babylonians  take  the  city  or  would  Jehovah  intervene 
and  save  his  Temple  as  he  had  done  in  the  case  of  Sen- 
nacherib ?  With  one  exception  the  prophets  said :  "  Keep 
on  fighting  against  the  king  of  Babylon,  for  he  shall  not 
be  able  to  take  the  city.  Our  God  will  come  and  save 
us."  One  lone  prophet  said :  *'  Make  terms  of  peace  with 
the  king  of  Babylon.  If  you  surrender  now,  the  city  and 
the  Temple  will  be  saved.  If  you  do  not  surrender  now, 
the  city  will  be  taken  and  burned  with  fire."  It  was  the 
voice  of  one  man  against  the  voice  of  a  multitude,  for  the 
false  prophets  were  many.  The  king  hesitated ;  perhaps 
he  knew  some  of  these  false  prophets  only  too  well,  and 
felt  they  were  not  trustworthy,  while  he  recognized  the 
deep  sincerity  and  heroic  courage  of  the  lone  prophet, 
Jeremiah.  While  the  king  hesitated,  an  event  occurred 
which  seemed  to  prove  that  the  false  prophets  were  right. 

The  Siege  Raised.  The  people  of  Judah  were  hoping 
for  help  from  Egypt.  That  country  was  the  natural  rival 
of  Babylon  and  the  king  of  Egypt  was  viewing  with 
apprehension  the  steady  westward  growth  of  the  Baby- 


220    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

Ionian  Empire.  An  immense  army  came  marching  out  of 
Egypt  to  aid  the  Hebrews.  The  Babylonians  were  too 
wise  to  be  caught  between  two  fires.  They  raised  the 
siege  of  Jerusalem  and  went  to  meet  the  Egyptians.  The 
false  prophets  said,  "  We  told  you  so."  Jeremiah  said, 
'*  The  Babylonians  will  return  and  burn  this  city  with 
fire."  This  persistency  of  Jeremiah  angered  his  enemies 
beyond  measure.  They  resolved  to  get  rid  of  him.  One 
day  Jeremiah  was  leaving  Jerusalem  to  attend  to  some 
business  matters  in  Anathoth.  His  enemies  laid  hold  of 
him  as  he  was  going  out  of  the  gate.  They  said  that  he 
was  going  away  to  join  the  Babylonians.  Jeremiah  de- 
nied the  charge,  but  he  was  carried  back  into  the  city  and 
put  into  a  horrible  dungeon.  It  was  a  kind  of  cistern, 
bottle-shaped,  with  no  water,  but  deep  mud  in  the  bot- 
tom, and  of  course  utterly  dark  when  the  lid  was  fastened 
down.  The  enemies  of  Jeremiah  let  him  down  into  this 
cistern  with  ropes  and  he  sank  deep  into  the  mire.  Then 
they  covered  the  cistern  and  went  away,  leaving  their 
enemy  to  die.  If  it  had  not  been  for  a  kind-hearted  Negro 
slave,  Jeremiah  would  have  died  in  the  cistern  dungeon. 

The  Babylonians  Return.  The  great  army  that  had 
come  out  of  Egypt  returned  without  having  offered  battle 
in  behalf  of  the  Hebrews  and  the  Babylonian  army  came 
back  to  Jerusalem  and  resumed  the  siege.  This  time  there 
was  no  respite.  The  Avails  began  to  totter.  The  des- 
perate Hebrews  built  new  walls  within  the  old,  so  that 
when  the  Babylonians  broke  through  one  wall  they  saw 
another  confronting  them.  For  two  years  the  struggle 
went  on,  but  the  beleaguered  city  could  not  hold  out 
forever.  The  king  was  greatly  distressed.  He  longed 
for  some  word  of  council  from  Jehovah.  He  knew  now 
that  the  words  of  the  false  prophets  were  not  reliable. 
Where  was  the  brave  prophet  who  had  said  that  the 
Babylonians  would  return?  It  was  certain  that  he  would 
speak  the  truth.  He  made  inquiry  and  found  that  he  was 
in  prison.  He  sent  and  had  him  brought  secretly  into 
the  palace.  He  did  not  wish  it  to  be  known  that  he  was 
consulting  Jeremiah. 

King  and  Prophet.  In  the  royal  palace  the  two,  king 
and  prophet,  stood  face  to  face.     The  troubled  monarch 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS    221 

leaned  forward  looking  earnestly  into  the  face  of  the 
prophet.  He  asked  in  an  awed  whisper,  "  Is  there  any 
word  from  Jehovah?"  Mud-bespattered  and  famished, 
hardly  able  to  stand,  knowing-  that  the  words  he  spoke 
might  be  his  last,  the  prophet  was  nevertheless  true  to 
his  high  office.  He  would  say  what  Jehovah  had  told 
him  to  say  and  nothing  else.  Meeting  the  king's  gaze 
with  a  steady  eye,  he  replied :  "  There  is.  Thou  shalt  be 
delivered  into  the  hand  of  the  king  of  Babylon." 

The  Destruction  of  the  City  and  Temple.  The  Baby- 
lonians ultimately  made  a  breach  in  the  walls  and  took 
the  city  by  assault.  The  Temple  and  the  royal  palace 
were  sacked  and  burned.  The  walls  were  torn  down. 
Hardly  a  house  was  left  standing.  The  king  and  some 
of  his  supporters  fled  through  a  secret  passageway,  but 
were  overtaken  and  carried  away  to  Babylon  for  punish- 
ment. The  population  had  been  greatly  reduced  by 
famine  and  pestilence.  Many  of  the  people  perished  in 
the  fall  of  the  city.  The  remnant  of  the  Hebrews  were 
driven  away  before  the  Babylonian  army  into  the  distant 
Euphrates  Valley. 

Last  Days  of  Jeremiah.  The  Babylonians  treated  Jere- 
miah kindly.  They  told  him  that  he  could  either  go  with 
the  remnant  of  the  Jews  into  the  country  about  Babylon, 
or  remain  in  Jerusalem.  He  chose  to  remain  in  the  deso- 
lated city.  It  was  not  long  before  the  little  band  of  Jews 
which  had  been  left  in  the  city  determined  to  flee,  in  a 
body,  into  Egypt,  that  they  might  escape  from  the  rule  of 
Babylon.  Jeremiah  resisted  the  move,  but  was  compelled 
to  go  with  them.  In  Egypt  we  lose  sight  of  the  heroic 
prophet,  and  we  do  not  know  what  the  end  of  his  life  may 
have  been.  We  know,  however,  that  for  more  than  forty 
years  he  had  borne  heroic  testimony  for  God  and  truth. 
The  influence  of  such  a  life  can  never  die. 


SUNDAY  SESSION 

HOW  JEREMIAH  DELIVERED  HIS  MESSAGES 

Jer.,  chs.  13,  19,  22 

In  the  preceding  lesson  we  have  sketched  briefly  some 
of  the  outstanding  events  in  the  life  of  Jeremiah.     It  is 


222    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

worth  our  while  to  consider  also  the  ways  in  which  Jere- 
miah sought  to  make  God's  messages  known.  He  did 
not  merely  utter  these  messages  which  God  had  sent 
him  in  sermons  preached  to  the  few  who  mip-ht  come  to 
hear  him.  He  was  tremendously  intent  on  his  task  of 
making  the  mind  of  God  known  to  the  people  of  his  day. 

A  Sermon  for  the  King.  On  a  certain  occasion  God 
told  Jeremiah  to  go  down  to  the  house  of  the  king  and 
speak  such  words  to  the  monarch  as  he  should  be  given 
to  speak.  Jeremiah  went.  He  preached  a  great  sermon, 
but  it  was  not  the  kind  usually  preached  to  royalty.  It 
did  not  have  any  compliments  in  it,  but  much  of  reproof, 
many  solemn  warnings,  and  earnest  admonitions.  As  you 
read  these  extracts  of  the  prophet's  sermon,  remember 
that  they  were  spoken  to  a  king,  one  who  had  power  and 
authority  and  who  might  do  the  speaker  great  service  if 
his  sermon  were  pleasing,  great  injury  if  the  sermon  gave 
ofTense.  The  king  was  Jehoiakim,  the  degenerate  son  of 
good  king  Josiah.  He  had  forsaken  the  worship  of  Je- 
hovah and  had  become  an  idolater.  He  was  cruel  and 
tyrannical  toward  his  own  people. 

Some  of  the  things  the  prophet  said  to  the  king  and  his 
officers  are  as  follows : 

"  Hear  the  word  of  Jehovah,  O  king  of  Judah,  that  sittest 
upon  the  throne  of  David,  thou,  and  thy  servants,  and  thy  people 
that  enter  in  by  these  gates.  Thus  saith  Jehovah:  Execute  ye 
justice  and  righteousness,  and  deliver  him  that  is  robbed  out  of 
the  hand  of  the  oppressor:  and  do  no  wrong,  do  no  violence,  to 
the  sojourner,  the  fatherless,  nor  the  widow;  neither  shed  inno- 
cent blood  in  this  place.  For  if  ye  do  this  thing  indeed,  then 
shall  there  enter  in  by  the  gates  of  this  house  kings  sitting  upon 
the  throne  of  David,  riding  in  chariots  and  on  horses,  he,  and 
his  servants,  and  his  people.  But  if  ye  will  not  hear  these  words, 
I  swear  by  myself,  saith  Jehovah,  that  this  house  shall  become 
a  desolation." — Jer.  22:2-5. 

Looking  about  the  spacious  halls  of  the  royal  palace, 
with  its  ceilings  of  Lebanon  cedar  and  its  vermilion- 
tinted  walls,  the  prophet  said : 

"Woe  unto  him  that  buildeth  his  house  by  unrighteousness, 
and  his  chambers  by  injustice;  that  useth  his  neighbor's  service 
without  wages,  and  giveth   him   not  his  hire;   that  saith,   I   will 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS    223 

build  me  a  wide  house  and  spacious  chambers,  and  cutteth  him 
out  windows;  and  it  is  ceiled  with  cedar,  and  painted  with  ver- 
milion. Shalt  thou  reign,  because  thou  strivest  to  excel  in 
cedar?  Did  not  thy  father  eat  and  drink,  and  do  justice  and 
righteousness?  then  it  was  well  with  him.  He  judged  the  cause 
of  the  poor  and  needy;  and  then  it  was  well.  .  .  .  But  thine 
eyes  and  thy  heart  are  not  but  for  thy  covetousness,  and  for 
shedding  innocent  blood,  and  for  oppression,  and  for  violence, 
to  do  it.  Therefore  thus  saith  Jehovah  concerning  Jehoiakim 
the  son  of  Josiah,  king  of  Judah:  They  shall  not  lament  for  him, 
saying.  Ah  my  brother!  or  Ah  sister!  They  shall  not  larnent  for 
him,  saying,  Ah  lord!  or.  Ah  his  glory!  He  shall  be  buried  with 
the  burial  of  an  ass,  drawn  and  cast  forth  beyond  the  gates 
of  Jerusalem." — Jer.  22:13-19. 


It  is  little  wonder  that  such  fearless  preaching  made  a 
great  stir  and  that  the  preacher  was  persecuted.  Those 
who  are  guilty  like  Jehoiakim,  on  hearing  such  preach- 
ing, either  repent  or  persecute. 

Some  Object  Lessons.  Jeremiah  was  so  tremendously 
in  earnest  that  he  was  not  satisfied  to  preach  merely  in 
words.  He  knew  that  people  are  usually  impressed  by 
seeing  things  more  than  by  only  hearing  about  them. 
Jeremiah  was  evidently  a  great  believer  in  the  value  of 
object  lessons. 

The  prophet  bought  himself  a  beautiful  linen  girdle.  It 
was  probably  more  like  a  fine  white  vest  than  any  other 
article  of  clothing  with  which  we  are  familiar.  The 
prophet  wore  it  for  a  time,  until  the  people  became  ac- 
customed to  seeing  him  with  it.  Then  he  took  it  and 
hid  it  in  a  lonely  place  among  the  rocks.  A  long  time 
afterward  he  went  and  took  it  from  its  hiding  place.  It 
was  all  mildewed  and  rotten.  Nevertheless  the  prophet 
put  it  on  and  went  about  the  city  with  it.  When  people 
stared  at  the  old  ragged  girdle,  the  prophet  cried  out  to 
them,  "  Thus  saith  Jehovah,  After  this  manner  will  I  mar 
the  pride  of  Judah,  and  the  great  pride  of  Jerusalem." 

On  another  occasion  the  prophet  persuaded  the  priests 
and  elders  to  go  with  him  down  into  the  valley  of  the  son 
of  Hinnom.  It  was  in  this  valley  that  the  awful  fire  god, 
Molech,  was  worshiped  and  here  the  perverted  Israelites 
even  offered  their  children  in  sacrifice  to  the  hideous  idol. 
Jeremiah  wished  to  persuade  these  unfaithful  officers  of 


224    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS 

the  Jewish  nation  that  Jehovah  would  punish  such  dread- 
ful violation  of  his  laws.  The  prophet  carried  a  large 
earthen  water  jar.  When  he  had  reached  the  spot  where 
the  terrible  crimes  were  done  in  the  name  of  religion,  he 
paused  and  addressed  the  elders  and  priests  in  words 
eloquent  with  earnestness  and  lofty  emotion.  Suddenly 
pausing  in  his  address,  the  prophet  raised  the  earthen 
jar  high  above  his  head,  then  he  dashed  it  upon  the  stones 
when  it  flew  into  a  thousand  rattling  fragments.  In  the 
astonished  silence  which  followed,  the  voice  of  the 
prophet  rang  out  clear  and  penetrating:  "Thus  saith  Je- 
hovah of  hosts:  Even  so  will  I  break  this  people  and  this 
city,  as  one  breaketh  a  potter's  vessel,  that  cannot  be 
made  whole  again ;  and  they  shall  bury  in  Topheth,  till 
there  be  no  place  to  bury."    Jer.  19  :10,  11. 

In  those  days  it  was  customary  for  prisoners  of  war 
to  be  fastened  together  in  long  lines  by  wooden  yokes 
which  were  fastened  to  the  necks  of  the  captives.  Jere- 
miah made  one  of  these  yokes,  which  everyone  could 
recognize,  and  wore  it  about  the  streets  of  Jerusalem. 
Wherever  he  went  with  the  yoke,  he  told  the  people  that 
unless  they  repented  they  would  be  led  far  away  into  a 
foreign  land  as  prisoners  of  war.  An  enraged  false 
prophet  at  last  took  the  yoke  off  Jeremiah's  neck  and 
broke  it  in  pieces. 

There  was  in  Judah  a  kind  of  society  called  the  Recha- 
bites.  These  people  had  taken  a  solemn  oath  that  they 
would  never  taste  wine  and  that  they  would  do  certain 
other  things  such  as  living  in  tents  rather  than  in  houses. 
They  sought  to  maintain  the  old  simple  life  of  the  wilder- 
ness, believing  that  it  was  only  in  this  way  that  the 
ancient  virtues  of  their  race  could  be  preserved.  Jere- 
miah knew  the  fidelity  with  which  the  Rechabites  kept 
their  vows  and  he  conceived  a  plan  by  which  he  hoped  to 
teach  a  lesson  to  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem.  He  in- 
duced the  Rechabites  to  come  into  the  Temple.  There 
was  probably  a  great  crowd  there.  The  Rechabites  were 
probably  in  view  of  the  multitude  for  it  was  in  a  kind  of 
elevated  chamber  that  they  were  gathered.  Jeremiah  had 
bowls  of  w^ine  brought  in  and  set  before  every  one  of  the 
Rechabites.     Then  he  said  to  them,  "  Drink  ye  wine," 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS    225 

but  not  one  of  them  raised  his  cup  to  his  mouth,  or  even 
touched  it.  Instead,  they  courteously  said  to  Jeremiah, 
"  We  will  drink  no  wine ;  for  Jonadab  the  son  of  Rechab, 
our  father,  commanded  us,  saying.  Ye  shall  drink  no 
wine,  neither  ye,  nor  your  sons,  for  ever." 

The  moment  had  come  for  which  Jeremiah  had  planned. 
Turning  to  the  multitudes  he  said :  "  Will  ye  not  receive 
instruction  to  hearken  to  my  words?  saith  Jehovah.  The 
words  of  Jonadab  the  son  of  Rechab,  that  he  commanded 
his  sons,  not  to  drink  wine,  are  performed ;  and  unto  this 
day  they  drink  none,  for  they  obey  their  father's  com- 
mandment. But  I  have  spoken  unto  you,  rising  up  early 
and  speaking;  and  ye  have  not  hearkened  unto  me." 
Jer.  35:13,  14. 

The  Writings  of  Jeremiah.  Jeremiah  was  an  indus- 
trious writer.  When  he  was  shut  up  in  prison,  he  could 
still  write  his  messages.  We  have  more  material  from 
his  pen  than  from  the  pen  of  any  other  prophet.  Besides 
the  prophecies  which  bear  his  name,  he  wrote  the  book 
of  Lamentations,  a  pathetic  poem  which  recounts  the 
events  connected  with  the  decline  and  fall  of  the  nation. 
It  is  thought  that  also  some  of  the  Psalms  were  written 
by  him.  We  see  how  industriously  the  prophet  labored 
that  he  might  make  God's  messages  known  to  his  people. 
He  was  not  able  to  save  the  kingdom  and  the  holy  city, 
but  his  efforts  did  help  to  keep  the  light  of  God's  truth 
in  the  world.  When  the  Hebrews  of  Shushan  turned 
their  faces  westward  and  came  into  their  land  to  rebuild 
the  walls  of  Jerusalem  and  to  restore  the  Temple,  it  was 
a  manifestation  that  the  seed  which  Jeremiah  and  others 
like  him  had  sown  in  tears  was  beginning  to  bear  fruit. 

Without  Wax 

Do  you  know  the  meaning  of  our  word  "  sincere  "  ?  It 
comes  from  two  Latin  words  which  mean  "  without  wax." 
The  term  grew  up  in  this  way :  In  the  days  of  the  Roman 
Empire  there  were  workmen  who  made  beautiful  vases 
and  other  forms  of  earthenware.  Sometimes  there  would 
be  some  little  flaw  in  the  object  after  it  had  been  com- 
pleted and  burned  in  the  kiln.     It  might  be  just  a  little 


226    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH   SCHOOL  LESSONS 

crack  of  a  spot  where  the  enamel  was  chipped  off.  Dis- 
honest workmen  were  very  skillful  in  covering  up  these 
defects  with  wax.  They  could  make  the  wax  look  ex- 
actly like  the  material  of  the  vessel.  But  after  a  time  the 
defect  would  begin  to  show  and  the  vessel  would  be  seen 
to  be  defective. 

So  it  came  to  pass  that  honest  dealers  guaranteed  their 
goods.  They  did  so  by  inscribing  somewhere  on  the  ves- 
sel, two  words  which  claimed  that  the  article  was  genuine, 
sine  cera,  "  without  wax."  We  have  given  the  word  a 
wider  range  of  meaning.  We  apply  it  not  only  to  articles 
of  merchandise  but  to  persons.  Some  people  are  genuine ; 
they  ring  true ;  they  endure  close  and  long-continued  ac- 
quaintance and  their  value  is  constantly  seen  more 
clearly.  There  are  other  people  who  have  hidden  flaws. 
They  are  not  genuine.  They  fail  you  in  the  hour  of  need. 
Perhaps  one  of  the  very  greatest  characteristics  of  Jere- 
miah was  his  sincerity,  his  genuineness. 

The:  Li^ssoN  Praye:r 

O  God,  our  Father,  we  thank  thee  for  the  Bible  with  its 
wonderful  stories  of  the  heroic  men  and  women  of  the 
olden  times.  We  thank  thee  for  the  example  of  persever- 
ance and  fidelity  which  these  servants  of  thine  have  left 
to  us.  Help  us  to  know  thee  in  that  intimate  and  personal 
way  in  which  they  knew  thee.  We,  too,  would  hear  thy 
voice  speaking  to  us  and  guiding  us  through  the  pathway 
of  duty  and  effort.  Help  us  to  have  a  deep  and  abiding 
love  for  thee,  so  that  all  that  we  say  and  do  may  be  said 
and  done  in  such  a  way  as  to  build  up  thy  Kingdom. 
Amen. 

The:  Li^sson  Hymn 

"  Where  cross  the  crowded  ways  of  life, 

Where  sound  the  cries  of  race  and  clan, 
Above  the  noise  of  selfish  strife, 
We  hear  thy  voice,  O  Son  of  Man. 

"  In  haunts  of  wretchedness  and  need, 

On  shadowed  thresholds  dark  with  fears, 
From  paths  where  hide  the  lures  of  greed, 
We  catch  the  vision  of  thy  tears. 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH   SCHOOL  LESSONS    227 

"  From  tender  childhood's  helplessness, 

From  woman's  grief,  man's  burdened  toil, 
From  famished  souls,  from  sorro^y's  stress, 
Thy  heart  has  never  known  recoil. 

"  O  Master,  from  the  mountain  side. 

Make  haste  to  heal  these  hearts  of  pain; 
Among  these  restless  throngs  abide, 
O  tread  the  city's  streets  again; 

"  Till  sons  of  men  shall  learn  thy  love, 
And  follow  where  thy  feet  have  trod; 
Till  glorious  from  the  heaven  above. 
Shall  come  the  City  of  our  God." 


EXPRESSIONAL  SESSION 

CHRISTIAN  GENUINENESS 
Sugge:stions  for  THi:  Leader's  Opening  Address 

Hypocrisy  was  the  one  bad  trait  which  Jesus  could  not 
tolerate.  He  wished  people  to  be  genuine.  Hypocrisy  is 
the  attempt  to  appear  something  which  we  are  not.  The 
temptation  to  be  hypocritical,  in  some  degree,  is  a  very 
subtle  temptation.  We  all  like  to  have  people  think  well 
of  us  and  are  apt  to  let  it  go  if  they  by  chance  overesti- 
mate our  worth  and  goodness,  whereas  if  they  under- 
estimate us  in  these  respects  we  soon  make  a  fuss  about  it. 

One  of  the  fine  things  in  the  character  of  Jeremiah  was 
his  entire  genuineness.  It  shows  in  many  of  the  acts  of 
his  Hfe.  He  had  fits  of  despondency  and  was  honest 
enough  to  tell  us  just  how  he  felt  when  he  wished  that 
he  had  never  been  born.  His  tears  for  the  suffering 
women  and  children  were  genuine  tears  of  pity.  It  was 
his  own  inner  loyalty  to  the  truth  which  made  the  false 
prophets  so  despicable  in  his  eyes. 

We  young  people  ought  to  be  cultivating  this  spirit  of 
genuineness.  We  ought  to  be  absolutely  sincere  in  all 
our  conversations  and  all  our  relationships.  The  young 
people  whose  parents  and  teachers  cannot  depend  on 
them  are  not  genuine.  The  girl  or  boy  who  talks  in  a 
friendly  way  to  you  when  in  your  presence,  but  says 


228    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH   SCHOOL  LESSONS 

mean  things  about  you  when  you  are  absent,  is  not  genu- 
ine. Such  boys  or  girls  have  a  streak  of  wax  in  their  per- 
sonahty  and  some  day  people  will  discover  it  and  they 
will  be  put  into  the  discredited  group  of  people  who  are 
defective  in  character. 


Study  Topics 

1.  Tell  Some  Events  in  the  Life  of  Jeremiah  Which 
Showed  That  He  Was  Sincere. 

2.  Do  the  Same  for  Elijah,  for  Amos,  for  Hosea. 

3.  Name  Some  Ways  in  Which  Boys  and  Girls  Can 
Cultivate  Genuineness  of  Character. 

4.  Can  You  Think  of  Any  Really  Great  Men  or 
Women  of  History  of  Whom  It  Can  Be  Truthfully  Said 
That  They  Were  Insincere? 

5.  In  What  Ways  Are  Young  People  Tempted  to  Pre- 
tend That  They  Are  Something  Which  They  Really  Are 
Not? 


Versks  for  Us^:  in  the:  Me:e:ting 

I  Sam.  16:7;  Matt.  23:27;  John  7:24;  James  3:17; 
I  Peter  2  :1. 

Committee:  to  Be:  Appointe:d 

Committee  on  Schoolroom  Decorations,  to  secure  suit- 
able pictures  for  the  schoolroom  such  as  copies  of  Sar- 
gent's Hebrew  Prophets;  also  to  secure  plants  for  the 
windows  and  the  like. 

The  Class  Code: 

The  Law  of  Genuineness.  Hypocrisy  and  deceit  are 
displeasing  to  God  and  destructive  to  character.  There- 
fore : 

1.  We  will  not  say  by  word  or  action  anything  which 
we  do  not  believe  to  be  true. 

2.  We  will  not  pretend  to  feel  either  friendship  or  any 
other  emotion  if  the  feeling  does  not  exist  in  us,  but  we 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS    229 

will  try  to  cultivate  friendship  and  good  will,  so  that  we 
can  make  our  actions  a  genuine  expression  of  such 
emotions. 

3.  We  will  strive  to  have  a  genuine  religion  which 
reverences  God  sincerely  and  which  makes  us  devoted  to 
the  welfare  of  all  our  brothers  and  sisters  in  God's  great 
family. 


CHAPTER  XIX 

PREVISIONS  OF  THE  GOLDEN  AGE 

WEEK  DAY  SESSION 

THE  GOLDEN  AGE  WHICH  THE  PROPHETS  FORESAW 
Isa.  2  :2-4  ;  11  :l-9  ;  56  :6-8  ;  Zech.  8  :20-23 

We  have  seen  how  the  message  of  practically  every 
prophet  ended  with  words  of  encouragement  and  hope. 
Beyond  the  evils  which  surrounded  the  people  and  beyond 
the  disasters  which  they  foresaw  in  the  nearer  future, 
they  saw  a  more  distant  future,  in  which  God's  plans 
would  be  worked  out  and  where  justice  and  righteousness 
would  be  established  forever.  They  were  not  given  all 
the  details  of  God's  plans,  nor  was  the  exact  time  of  these 
future  events  revealed  to  them,  but  God's  inspiration  did 
give  them  assurance  of  the  coming  of  a  day  of  full  and 
everlasting  triumph  for  the  cause  to  which  they  were 
giving  their  lives.  It  will  be  helpful  to  us  to  consider  a 
few  of  the  ideas  which  the  prophets  had  concerning  the 
great  day  of  triumph  for  God's  plans  on  the  earth. 

A  Time  of  Universal  Peace.  Practically  all  the 
prophets  wrote  during  war  times.  They  were  familiar 
with  the  sight  of  marching  troops.  They  saw  the  flash- 
ing of  swords  and  spears.  They  witnessed  the  havoc  of 
war:  broken  and  maimed  men,  suffering  widows,  and 
homeless  children.  These  kind-hearted  men  who  knew 
the  heart  of  God  and  who  loved  humanity  did  not  believe 
that  war  could  last  forever.  They  were  sure  that  God's 
plans  provided  for  its  elimination  from  the  world.  The 
messages  which  God  gave  them  to  speak  to  the  people 
confirmed  them  in  their  faith  that  war  was  to  be  done 
away.  More  than  one  of  the  prophets  declares  that  the 
nations  **  shall  beat  their  swords  into  plowshares,  and 
their  spears  into  pruning-hooks ;  nation  shall  not  lift  up 

230 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH   SCHOOL  LESSONS    231 

the  sword  against  nation,  neither  shall  they  learn  war  any 
more.'* 

A  Time  of  Universal  Justice.  The  prophets  were  all 
familiar  with  the  gross  injustice  which  characterized  the 
times  in  which  they  lived.  They  were  none  of  them  men 
to  shut  their  eyes  to  such  things  as  the  oppression  of  the 
poor  and  the  perversion  justice  in  the  courts.  Their  re- 
ligion was  not  of  the  "  other-worldly  "  kind  which  refuses 
to  battle  for  justice  and  righteousness  in  the  world  in 
which  we  are  living  now.  It  was  their  attempt  to  apply 
the  principles  of  their  religion  to  the  evils  of  their  day 
that  got  them  into  trouble.  If  they  had  been  willing  to 
overlook  the  wrongs  that  were  so  prevalent  and  to  preach 
only  general  religious  truth,  they  would  have  escaped 
persecution.  But  they  were  very  specific  in  their  utter- 
ances ;  they  said,  "  This  is  sin,"  and  ''  Thou  art  a  sinner." 
Perhaps  they  were  champions  of  justice  because  they 
knew  the  God  of  justice  better  than  others  of  their  time. 
They  proclaimed  that  the  day  of  Jehovah's  triumph  would 
be  a  day  of  triumph  for  justice. 

Here  is  Isaiah's  sublime  picture  of  the  reign  of  the 
righteous  prince  who  is  to  set  up  the  everlasting  King- 
dom of  justice  and  righteousness: 


"  And  there  shall  come  forth  a  shoot  out  of  the  stock  of  Jesse, 
and  a  branch  out  of  his  roots  shall  bear  fruit:  and  the  Spirit 
of  Jehovah  shall  rest  upon  him,  the  spirit  of  wisdom  and  under- 
standing, the  spirit  of  counsel  and  might,  the  spirit  of  knowledge 
and  of  the  fear  of  Jehovah;  and  his  delight  shall  be  in  the  fear 
of  Jehovah;  and  he  shall  not  judge  after  the  sight  of  his  eyes, 
neither  decide  after  the  hearing  of  his  ears;  but  with  righteous- 
ness shall  he  judge  the  poor,  and  decide  with  equity  for  the 
rneek  of  the  earth;  and  he  shall  smite  the  earth  with  the  rod  of 
his  mouth;  and  with  the  breath  of  his  lips  shall  he  slay  the 
wicked.  And  righteousness  shall  be  the  girdle  of  his  waist,  and 
faithfulness  the  girdle. of  his  loins." — Isa.  11:1-5. 


A  Time  of  Universal  Religion.  The  prophets  were 
fully  convinced  that  the  day  would  come  when  Jehovah 
their  God  would  be  worshiped  by  all  the  nations  of  the 
earth.  We  have  in  facts  like  this  proof  that  the  Hebrews 
through  their  great  spiritual  leaders  and,  indeed,  through 

16 


232    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH   SCHOOL  LESSONS 

even  the  humblest  believers,  were  in  contact  with  the 
eternal  God.  How  else  could  the}^  have  come  to  believe 
that  their  God  would  go  forward  to  universal  dominion 
over  the  hearts  of  all  mankind?  It  must  have  been  that 
God  himself  had  taught  them  that  he  was  the  only  God 
and  that  the  gods  of  the  nations  were  nothing  but  wood 
and  stone,  the  works  of  men's  hands.  The  prophets  were 
conscious  that  as  the  descendants  of  Abraham  they  were 
to  bring  a  blessing  to  all  the  nations  of  the  earth  by 
teaching  them  to  know  and  honor  the  only  God.  The 
following  quotation  from  Zechariah  is  typical  of  these 
prophetic  utterances  which  foretell  the  spread  of  know- 
ledge concerning  Jehovah  the  God  of  the  Jews  and  of  all 
the  earth : 

"Thus  saith  Jehovah  of  hosts:  It  shall  yet  come  to  pass,  that 
there  shall  come  peoples,  and  the  inhabitants  of  many  cities; 
and  the  inhabitants  of  one  city  shall  go  to  another,  saying, 
Let  us  go  speedily  to  entreat  the  favor  of  Jehovah,  and  to  seek 
Jehovah  of  hosts:  I  will  go  also.  Yea,  many  peoples  and  strong 
nations  shall  come  to  seek  Jehovah  of  hosts  in  Jerusalem,  and 
to  entreat  the  favor  of  Jehovah.  Thus  saith  Jehovah  of  hosts: 
In  those  days  it  shall  come  to  pass,  that  ten  men  shall  take 
hold,  out  of  all  the  languages  of  the  nations,  they  shall  take  hold 
of  the  skirt  of  him  that  is  a  Jev^,  saying.  We  v^ill  go  with  you, 
for  we  have  heard  that  God  is  with  you." — Zech.  8:20-23. 

A  Religion  of  the  Heart.  Some  of  the  prophets  came 
to  see  that  religion  must  take  deeper  hold  on  the  life  of 
those  who  profess  to  be  religious,  than  had  been  the  case 
with  many  of  their  fellow  countrymen.  They  realized 
that  religion  was  not  a  matter  of  forms  such  as  the  offer- 
ing of  sacrifices,  the  attending  of  festivals,  and  the  saying 
of  prayers.  It  was  not  conformity  to  outward  rules,  but 
an  inner  motive  determining  all  the  acts  and  attitudes 
of  life.  No  prophet  has  expressed  this  more  clearly  than 
Jeremiah : 

"  But  this  is  the  covenant  that  I  will  make  with  the  house  of 
Israel  after  those  days,  saith  Jehovah:  I  will  put  my  law  in  their 
inward  parts,  and  in  their  heart  will  I  write  it;  and  I  will  be 
their  God,  and  they  shall  be  my  people:  and  they  shall  teach  no 
more  every  man  his  neighbor,  and  every  man  his  brother,  saying, 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH   SCHOOL  LESSONS    233 

Know  Jehovah;  for  they  shall  all  know  me,  from  the  least  of 
them  unto  the  greatest  of  them,  saith  Jehovah:  for  I  will  for- 
give their  iniquity,  and  their  sin  will  I  remember  no  more." — Jer. 
31:33,  34. 

A  Universal  and  Everlasting  Kingdom.  The  prophets 
foresaw  the  downfall  of  the  Hebrew  nation,  but  their 
faith  would  not  allow  them  to  believe  that  this  was  the 
end  of  the  matter.  They  believed  that  God  would  ulti- 
mately overcome  every  obstacle,  erase  every  failure,  and 
bring  his  plans  to  a  glorious  realization.  They  looked  for 
the  establishment  of  a  Kingdom  on  earth  where  God's 
will  would  be  known  and  obeyed,  a  Kingdom  that  should 
be  world-wide  and  that  should  stand  forever.  They  be- 
lieved this,  not  as  a  mere  possibility,  but  as  the  assured 
result  of  God's  dealings  with  men.  They  believed  it  in 
a  way  which  made  them  ready  to  live  for  the  coming  of 
the  Kingdom,  or,  if  need  be,  to  die  for  it.  This  sublime 
goal  is  still  God's  program  for  the  world.  Like  the 
prophets,  we  can  be  coworkers  with  God  in  the  great  task 
of  setting  up  his  Kingdom  in  the  world. 

A  Boy  Scout  and  a  Sklfish  Rich  Man 
James  Leighton  was  a  Boy  Scout  in  a  small  town  of  an 
eastern  state.  When  the  World  War  was  going  on  he 
sought  to  help  his  country  in  every  way  he  could.  Every 
time  there  was  a  bond  sale,  he  offered  his  services  and 
was  very  successful  in  his  efforts  to  induce  people  to  buy 
bonds.  There  was  hardly  a  person  in  the  town  who  sold 
so  many  bonds  as  James  did.  Toward  the  close  of  the 
war,  there  was  a  campaign  for  raising  money  for  a  num- 
ber of  such  organizations  as  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.,  the  Salvation 
Army,  and  the  War  Camp  Community  Service.  The 
people  in  charge  of  this  campaign  had  heard  of  the  large 
success  of  James  Leighton  in  the  bond  sales  and  they 
sought  his  help  in  their  own  undertaking.  James  readily 
consented  to  give  his  assistance.  He  was  a  lad  who  did 
thoroughly  anything  he  undertook,  so  he  made  prepara- 
tion for  this  new  task.  He  made  himself  familiar  with 
the  work  of  the  different  organizations  that  were  asking 
for  help.  He  learned  not  only  what  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  had 
done  in  the  trenches,  but  also  about  their  plans  for  a  great 


234    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH   SCHOOL  LESSONS 

educational  campaign  in  the  army,  so  that  the  soldiers 
would  go  back  to  civil  life  better  fitted  to  become  good 
and  efficient  citizens  than  they  had  been  when  they  joined 
the  army. 

Because  James  was  enthusiastic  and  knew  his  subject 
well,  he  made  an  excellent  solicitor.  There  was  hardly 
any  question  about  the  work  of  the  various  organizations 
which  he  could  not  answer.  Because  he  was  so  success- 
ful, the  managers  sent  this  Boy  Scout  to  interview  the 
wealthiest  man  in  the  tow^n,  to  whom  solicitors  for  philan- 
thropic causes  dreaded  to  go.  James  was  not  afraid  to 
tackle  any  such  job.  He  was  glad  to  go.  He  was  ad- 
mitted to  the  splendid  home  of  the  man  of  wealth  and 
launched  at  once  upon  the  subject  of  his  mission.  He 
told  of  the  great  services  the  several  organizations  had 
already  rendered  during  the  War  and  of  their  plans  for 
the  future.  His  auditor  seemed  interested.  He  even 
asked  a  question  or  two  as  if  he  wished  to  understand 
more  fully  the  plans  of  these  organizations.  James  was 
sure  that  he  was  making  good  progress  and  he  waxed 
enthusiastic  in  the  recital  of  all  that  was  being  planned. 
His  auditor  heard  him  through ;  then  he  dashed  all  the 
lad's  hopes  to  the  ground  by  saying  in  a  sarcastic  tone : 

"  Oh,  yes,  I  understand,  young  man.  When  you  get 
all  your  plans  in  operation  you  will  have  a  Utopia  here 
on  earth.  I  want  to  tell  you  that  I  have  no  money  to 
give  for  the  promotion  of  such  air-castle  building.  While 
the  War  was  going  on,  I  was  ready  to  do  my  part.  I 
bought  bonds  and  I  paid  my  taxes,  but  the  War  is  about 
over  now.  Let  the  soldiers  go  back  to  work.  We  had 
better  save  our  money  for  the  next  war,  for  this  talk 
about  getting  rid  of  war  is  all  nonsense.  People  have 
always  made  war  against  one  another  occasionally  and 
they  always  will." 

The  scout  was  repulsed.  He  turned  and  went  down 
the  lane  toward  his  home;  his  heart  was  a  little  heavy, 
for  the  time  being,  with  a  sense  of  failure.  The  man  of 
wealth  watched  him  go  until  he  turned  a  corner  in  the 
lane  and  went  out  of  sight;  then  he  went  into  his  house 
muttering  something  about  "  crack-brained  fanatics  who 
fill  even  the  children's  heads  with  their  nonsense." 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH   SCHOOL  LESSONS    235 

God's  plans  have  been  much  delayed  by  just  such  men 
who  have  called  the  visions  of  the  prophets  the  dreams 
of  fanatics. 


SUNDAY  SESSION 

THE  KINGDOM  OF  GOD  ON  EARTH  AS  THE  FULFILL- 
MENT OF  THE  HOPES  AND  VISIONS  OF  THE 
PROPHETS 

Psalm  72 

We  must  not  think  of  these  stories  of  the  prophets  as 
a  recital  of  far-off  events  which  have  nothing  to  do  with 
the  times  in  which  we  live.  They  have  a  great  deal  to  do 
with  our  own  times  and  with  the  lives  of  each  one  of  us. 
The  very  same  task  at  which  Elijah  and  Amos  and  Jere- 
miah labored  is  the  task  of  all  God's  people  to-day. 
Through  the  religion  of  the  Hebrews  God  prepared  for 
the  coming  of  the  Christian  religion.  Christianity  took 
up  the  unfinished  task  which  the  patriarchs  and  prophets 
began.  In  the  next  book  of  this  course  we  shall  learn 
how  God  has  brought  the  coming  of  his  Kingdom  near 
by  sending  his  Son  to  be  a  perfect  pattern  for  our  lives 
and  to  be  the  infinite  Helper  and  Saviour. 

The:  Twofold  Task  o^  the  Christian  Religion 

The  Christian  religion  has  been  given  to  the  world  for 
a  great  purpose.  In  the  first  place  its  mission  is  to  fit 
individuals  for  an  eternal  life  with  God.  The  time  we 
spend  in  this  life  is  but  a  moment  compared  with  that 
immeasurable  time  we  shall  spend  after  we  leave  this 
world.  We  must  not  forget  that  religion  is  concerned 
with  life  in  a  world  beyond  and  with  the  sublime  possi- 
bilities of  such  a  life  for  growth  and  service.  We  shall 
make  a  great  mistake  if  we  do  not  keep  this  supremely 
important  significance  of  religion  uppermost  in  our  minds. 

Nevertheless  we  make  a  mistake  when  we  come  to 
think  of  religion  as  having  to  do  only  with  the  world  to 
come.  The  Christian  religion  has  another  goal  and  that 
goal  is  the  establishment  of  God's  Kingdom  upon  earth. 
The  things  for  which  the  prophets  contended,  namely 


236    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH   SCHOOL  LESSONS 

justice  and  peace  and  universal  brotherhood,  must  be  the 
goals  of  the  Christian  Church,  for  the  Church  has  taken 
up  the  task  of  the  prophets. 

These  two  phases  are  not  wholly  distinct,  however. 
They  must  develop  together.  Neither  can  be  complete 
without  the  other.  They  are  different  sides  of  one  pro- 
cess. The  Kingdom  of  God  can  be  established  upon 
earth,  only  as  the  people  of  the  earth  are  made  fit  for  a 
kingdom  on  earth  like  the  Kingdom  of  heaven.  On  the 
other  hand,  by  setting  up  God's  Kingdom  in  the  world, 
as  far  as  we  can  and  as  rapidly  as  we  can,  we  make  it 
more  and  more  possible  to  reach  individuals  and  to  bring 
them  into  that  spiritual  condition  where  they  are  fit  for 
God's  Kingdom  either  in  this  world  or  the  next. 

The:  Spread  of  God's  Truth  Through  all  the  Earth 

If  God's  Kingdom  is  to  be  set  up  all  over  the  world,  all 
the  world  must  know  about  God.  Every  idol-worshiping 
nation  must  learn  about  the  one  God  and  must  turn  to 
him  and  worship  him.  The  Christian  Church  is  working 
at  this  great  task.  It  has  certain  enterprises  which  look 
toward  this  end.    Some  of  them  may  be  named  as  follows : 

The  Foreign  Missions  Enterprise.  Thousands  of  mis- 
sionaries of  the  Christian  Church  are  spending  their  lives 
in  Africa,  China,  Japan,  and  India.  They  are  there  to 
teach  the  people  about  God,  the  God  the  prophets  knew. 
They  wish  the  people  to  know  him  that  they  may  be 
ready  for  the  eternal  life  of  the  world  to  come,  also  that 
they  may  be  citizens  of  God's  Kingdom  here  in  this 
world.  All  the  nations  of  the  earth  will  have  to  know 
God,  before  his  Kingdom  can  be  established  upon  the 
earth. 

The  Home  Missions  Enterprise.  There  are  also  sec- 
tions in  our  own  country  where  missionaries  must  be 
sent  by  the  Christian  Church,  places  where  the  people 
are  too  few  and  too  poor  to  keep  up  a  Christian  church, 
or  where  they  do  not  care  enough  about  religion  to  try  to 
do  so.  These  communities  are  found  in  some  of  our 
mountain  sections,  on  our  frontiers,  and  in  our  great 
cities.     You  see,  we  must  not  only  make  every  nation 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH   SCHOOL  LESSONS    237 

Christian,  but  every  part  of  every  nation  must  likewise 
be  made  Christian. 

The  Religious  Education  Enterprise.  The  teaching  of 
any  nation  about  God  is  not  a  task  which  can  be  done 
once  for  all.  It  is  a  task  which  must  go  on  continually. 
Children  are  born  and  grow  up  to  maturity  and  people 
grow  old  and  pass  away  to  the  other  life  beyond.  Each 
generation  must  teach  religious  truth  to  the  succeeding 
generation.  The  time  may  come  when  the  task  of  the 
missionary  is  over  but  the  task  of  the  religious  teacher  of 
children  will  go  on  as  long  as  the  life  of  the  world  will 
last. 

The  Application  oi^  God's  Truth  to  thk  Whole  of  Life 

One  reason  why  God's  Kingdom  is  not  yet  set  upon  the 
earth  is  because  the  w^hole  world  has  not  yet  learned 
about  the  true  God.  Another  reason  is  because  those 
portions  of  the  earth  that  have  heard  about  him  have  not 
come  to  know  him  very  well  and  have  failed  to  apply  even 
the  truth  they  have  received  to  all  the  problems  of  their 
lives.  Therefore  the  work  of  the  Church  must  go  on  at 
home  and  abroad.  Every  relationship  of  life  must  be 
brought  under  the  law  of  God,  the  law  the  great  Creator 
intended  for  us  from  the  beginning. 

Domestic  Relationships.  All  the  relationships  of  the 
family  must  be  brought  under  the  laws  of  God  before  his 
Kingdom  can  be  fully  established  on  earth.  Husbands 
and  wives,  brothers  and  sisters,  parents  and  children, 
must  live  together  as  ''  heirs  of  the  grace  of  life."  Love 
and  unselfishness  must  abound  in  the  homes  w^hich  are 
truly  homes  of  the  Kingdom. 

Community  Relationships.  When  God's  Kingdom 
comes,  the  whole  community  will  be  like  a  large  Christian 
family.  Each  member  of  this  larger  family  will  be  con- 
siderate of  the  happiness  and  welfare  of  all  the  other 
members.  No  member  of  the  community  will  seek  to 
gain  something  for  self  at  the  expense  of  some  other 
member  of  the  family.  There  w^U  be  no  sellers  of  dissi- 
pation who  get  gain  for  themselves  through  the  w^eak- 
nesses  of  their  fellows. 


238    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH   SCHOOL  LESSONS 

Industrial  Relationships.  The  conflicts  between  labor 
and  capital  will  cease  when  the  principles  of  the  gospel 
of  Christ  are  applied  to  the  business  interests  of  the 
world.  These  problems  which  are  receiving  so  much  at- 
tention in  our  day,  will  be  solved  in  the  light  of  that 
truth  which  God  has  been  shedding  abroad  through 
prophets  and  through  the  teachings  and  the  life  of  his 
Son.  They  will  never  be  rightly  and  finally  solved  in  any 
other  way. 

International  Relationships.  The  World  War  came  be- 
cause the  nations  of  the  earth  did  not  deal  with  one 
another  on  a  Christian  basis.  The  relationships  among 
them  were  determined  by  pagan  standards.  The  same 
principles  of  unselfishness,  love,  and  service  that  deter- 
mine the  acts  of  a  Christian  gentleman  must  come  to  rule 
the  actions  of  nations.  W^hen  that  day  comes  war  will  be 
impossible.  When  nations  have  learned  this  great  lesson, 
we  shall  have  taken  a  long  step  toward  establishing  God's 
Kingdom  in  the  world. 

All  of  these  relationships  must  be  Christianized  before 
individuals  can  be  fully  Christian.  Individuals  find  it  ex- 
ceedingly hard  to  live  up  to  Christian  standards  when  so 
many  of  the  relationships  of  the  life  in  the  midst  of  which 
they  exist  are  not  Christianized.  Take  this  illustration : 
Two  nations  are  drawn  into  war.  They  are  nominally 
Christian,  that  is,  they  have  many  Christian  citizens,  but 
their  relations  to  one  another,  as  nations,  are  not  on  a 
Christian  basis ;  therefore  they  go  to  war.  What  shall 
the  Christian  citizens  do?  Shall  the  Christian  citizens  of 
one  nation  fight  to  the  death  with  the  Christian  citizens 
of  another  nation?  That  is  usually  the  case.  This 
tragedy  is  necessary  because  the  relationships  of  the  two 
nations  are  not  based  on  the  teachings  of  Christ.  If  a 
citizen  says,  "  I  do  not  believe  in  war;  I  will  not  fight," 
he  is,  nevertheless,  a  party  to  the  combat.  Whenever  he 
buys  a  postage  stamp  he  is  giving  his  money  to  buy  arms 
and  ammunition  to  destroy  the  enemies  of  his  nation. 
Thus  we  see  that  the  making  of  the  life  of  any  one  indi- 
vidual wholly  Christian  while  he  is  a  part  of  a  community 
and  a  nation  which  are  not  wholly  Christian,  is  a  difficult 
task. 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH   SCHOOL  LESSONS    239 

The:  Le:sson  Prayi:r 

Our  Father  in  heaven,  we  thank  thee  that  thou  hast 
given  us  a  part  in  the  sublime  task  of  bringing  in  thy 
Kingdom.  We  thank  thee  that  we  can  have  in  this  labor 
fellowship  with  the  great  men  and  women  of  the  past. 
Give  us  something  of  their  devotion  to  this  great  under- 
taking. Help  us  to  live  as  good  citizens  of  thy  Kingdom. 
Help  us  to  love  righteousness  and  justice  and  truth. 
Enable  us  to  do  something  every  day  that  will  help  some 
one  else  to  be  happy  and  useful.  We  ask  in  the  name  of 
our  Saviour  and  King.    Amen. 

Thi:  Li^sson  Hymn 

"  '  Thy  kingdom  come,'  on  bended  knee 
The  passing  ages  pray; 
And  faithful  souls  have  yearned  to  see 
On  earth  that  Kingdom's  day. 

"  But  the  slow  watches  of  the  night 
Not  less  to  God  belong; 
And  for  the  everlasting  right 
The  silent  stars  are  strong. 

"And  lo!  already  on  the  hills 
The  flags  of  dawn  appear; 
Gird  up  your  loins,  ye  prophet  souls, 
Proclaim  the  day  is  near: 

"  The  day  in  whose  clear-shining  light 
All  wrongs  shall  stand  revealed, 
When  justice  shall  be  throned  in  might, 
And  every  hurt  be  healed; 

"  When  knowledge,  hand  in  hand  with  peace, 
Shall  walk  the  earth  abroad — 
The  day  of  perfect  righteousness. 
The  promised  day  of  God." 


EXPRESSIONAL  SESSION 

GOD'S  KINGDOM  THAT  IS  TO  BE 
Suggestions  i^or  the:  Leader's  Opening  Address 

The  first  petition  of  the  prayer  which  Jesus  taught  his 
disciples  is  a  request  for  the  establishing  of  God's  King- 


240    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH   SCHOOL  LESSONS 

dom  on  the  earth.  The  same  prayer  gives  us  our  best 
definition  of  the  Kingdom  of  God.  It  is  that  form  of 
earthly  society  where  God's  will  is  done  as  perfectly  as 
it  is  in  heaven.  It  must  be  possible  to  have  this  kind  of 
society  on  earth  or  Jesus  would  not  have  taught  his  dis- 
ciples to  pray  for  it.  He  would  not  have  taught  his 
disciples  to  expect  and  to  pray  for  impossibilities.  We 
know  that  there  is  no  such  kingdom  on  the  earth  to-day. 
In  none  of  the  kingdoms  of  the  world  is  God's  will  done 
perfectly.  It  is  not  in  the  Church  either,  for  even  in  the 
Church  God's  will  is  not  done  "  as  it  is  in  heaven."  This 
Kingdom  of  which  Jesus  spoke  must  be  a  kingdom  that 
is  yet  to  be. 

In  another  place  we  are  told  that  Jesus  said,  "  The 
kingdom  of  God  is  within  you."  Did  he  mean  another 
kingdom  from  that  for  which  he  taught  his  disciples  to 
pray?  I  think  not.  The  Kingdom  of  God  must  be  in  the 
hearts  of  people  before  it  can  begin  to  be  in  the  world. 
It  is  based  on  that  inner  law  of  which  we  have  heard  in 
our  study  of  the  prophet  Jeremiah.  It  is  because  of  this 
that  every  one  of  us  may  have  a  part  in  bringing  in  God's 
Kingdom.  We  can  cooperate  with  God  in  setting  it  up 
in  our  own  hearts.  If  the  Kingdom  is  really  in  our  own 
hearts,  we  shall  be  useful  to  God  in  setting  it  up  in  the 
hearts  of  other  people  and  in  the  world. 

Study  Topics 

1.  What  Can  Young  People  Do  to  Help  to  Establish 
the  Kingdom  of  God  in  Their  Own  Communities? 

2.  What  Can  the  Church  Do  Toward  Establishing 
God's  Kingdom  in  the  World? 

3.  What  Can  Our  Nation  Do  Toward  Establishing 
God's  Kingdom  in  the  World? 

4.  Why  Is  the  Bringing  in  of  God's  Kingdom  the 
Greatest  of  All  Undertakings? 

5.  What  Are  Some  of  the  Qualities  of  Character 
Necessary  for  Citizenship  in  God's  Kingdom  ? 

Verses  for  Use  in  the  Meeting 
Psalms  2,   110;  Isa.   11:6-9;  56:6-8;  Matt.  6:33;  Rev. 
12:10. 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS    241 

Things  to  Be  Done  by  Individual  Members  oe  the 
Class  or  by  Committees 

1.  Find  out  about  our  denomination's  work  for  poor 
children  in  the  great  cities. 

2.  Find  out  about  the  Hague  Tribunal. 

3.  Find  out  about  the  League  of  Nations. 

4.  Find  out  about  labor  unions  and  employers'  organi- 
zations. 

5.  Find  out  about  what  the  Church  is  doing  for  labor- 
ing people. 

The  Class  Code 

The  Law  of  Loyalty  to  the  Kingdom  That  Is  to  Be. 

We  believe  that  it  is  God's  plan  to  banish  evil  from  the 
earth  and  to  set  up  an  everlasting  Kingdom  of  righteous- 
ness and  brotherhood.     Therefore : 

1.  Wt  will  try  to  be  worthy  to  be  citizens  in  such  a 
Kingdom. 

2.  We  will  try  to  lead  others  to  become  citizens  in  it. 

3.  We  will  work  for  its   establishment  in  our  com- 
munity, in  our  nation,  and  in  the  world. 


CHAPTER  XX 

THE  COMING  SAVIOUR 

WEEK  DAY  SESSION 

THE  PRINCE  OF  THE  HOUSE  OF  DAVID 
II  Sam.  7  : 1-17  ;  Isa.  9  :  6,  7  ;  33  :  20-22 

During  all  the  years  when  good  and  evil  were  contend- 
ing for  the  supremacy  among  the  Hebrew  people,  a  great 
hope  was  constantly  growing  in  the  hearts  of  those  in 
the  nation  who  were  true  to  Jehovah.  These  godly  He- 
brews believed  that  their  God  would  send  them  a  Helper 
and  Deliverer.  They  called  the  expected  deliverer  the 
Messiah,  which  means  the  Anointed  of  Jehovah,  there- 
fore the  passages  of  Scripture  which  speak  of  the  coming 
deliverer  are  called  Messianic  prophecies.  It  is  interest- 
ing to  note  the  growth  of  the  Messianic  hope  among  the 
Hebrew  people. 

The  Earliest  Gospel.  No  one  can  say  just  when  the 
Messianic  hope  began,  though  we  are  sure  that  it  began 
to  be  felt  in  a  vague  way  far  back  among  the  ancestors 
of  the  Hebrew  race.  The  first  reference  to  it  in  the  Bible 
is  found  in  the  third  chapter  of  Genesis  in  the  passage 
which  says  that  the  seed  of  the  woman  shall  bruise  the 
serpent's  head.  Hence  it  is  probably  true  that  with  the 
first  consciousness  of  guilt,  God  led  man  to  hope  for  a 
final  deliverance  from  sin.  In  this  first  gospel  there  is 
no  hint  of  an  individual  deliverer  though  there  is  nothing 
to  exclude  such  an  idea.  The  promise  is  that  victory  over 
evil  shall  be  wrought  through  the  "  seed  "  of  woman, 
which  might  mean  through  the  combined  efforts  of  all 
mankind  or  through  one  person  who  was  born  of  woman. 
Gen.  3:15. 

World-Wide  Blessing  Promised  Through  the  Family  of 
Abraham.  We  have  seen  how  God  promised  Abraham 
that,  if  he  would  leave  his  father's  country  and  go  into  a 

242 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH   SCHOOL  LESSONS    243 

land  which  God  would  show  him,  his  descendants  should 
become  a  great  nation.  The  promise  was  made  that  this 
nation  should  be  a  blessing  to  all  the  families  of  the  earth. 
It  was  Esau's  disregard  for  this  promise  which  made  him 
sell  his  birthright  for  a  mess  of  pottage,  thus  demon- 
strating his  unfitness  to  be  used  of  God.  It  was  Jacob's 
evident  care  for  this  promise  that  made  him  of  service  to 
God.  The  Hebrews  never  entirely  lost  the  belief  in  this 
high  destiny  for  their  race.  At  some  times  it  was  more 
clearly  seen  than  at  other  times,  but  there  were  always 
some  faithful  souls  who  cherished  it  and  preserved  its 
spiritual  meaning. 

Great  David's  Greater  Son.  The  story  of  David's  rise 
from  a  herder  of  sheep  to  become  king  over  united  Israel 
is  one  of  the  most  interesting  in  the  Bible.  During  most 
of  his  life  David  lived  righteously  before  God.  Under  his 
leadership  the  kingdom  grew  strong  and  its  territories 
were  widely  extended.  It  was  one  of  the  deepest  hopes 
of  David's  heart  that  his  house  should  continue  to  rule 
over  the  kingdom  of  Israel  forever.  One  day  the  prophet 
Nathan  came  to  David  and  told  him  that  God  had  granted 
the  desire  of  his  heart.  The  words  of  the  prophet  were 
as  follows : 

"  Moreover  Jehovah  telleth  thee  that  Jehovah  will  make  thee 
a  house.  When  thy  days  are  fuliilled,  and  thou  shalt  sleep  with 
thy  fathers,  I  will  set  up  thy  seed  after  thee,  that  shall  proceed 
out  of  thy  bowels,  and  I  will  establish  his  kingdom.  He  shall 
build  a  house  for  my  name,  and  I  will  establish  the  throne  of  his 
kingdom  for  ever.  I  will  be  his  father,  and  he  shall  be  my  son: 
if  he  commit  iniquity,  I  will  chasten  him  with  the  rod  of  men, 
and  with  the  stripes  of  the  children  of  men;  but  my  lovingkind- 
ness  shall  not  depart  from  him,  as. I  took  it  from  vSaul,  whom  I 
put  away  before  thee.  And  thy  house  and  thy  kingdom  shall 
be  made  sure  for  ever  before  thee:  thy  throne  shall  be  estab- 
lished for  ever." — II  Sam.  7:11-16. 

We  know  how  this  promise  of  God  was  fulfilled  in 
Jesus.  David  was  of  course  unable  to  understand  all  of 
God's  plans,  but  he  was  comforted  by  the  assurance  that 
his  descendants  were  to  establish  an  everlasting  kingdom 
under  the  care  of  Jehovah.  This  belief  that  a  descendant 
of  David  was  to  reestablish  the  kingdom  of  the  Hebrews 


244     INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH   SCHOOL  LESSONS 

became  widely  spread.  It  lasted  and  grew  constantly 
stronger  through  a  good  many  centuries.  We  shall  find 
it  mentioned  repeatedly  when  we  come  to  study  the  life 
of  Christ. 

A  Human  Helper  and  Deliverer.  The  Messianic  hope 
grew  rapidly  during  the  troublous  times  following  the 
division  of  the  Hebrew  nation.  All  realized  that  the  ideal 
kingdom  of  which  they  had  dreamed  seemed  farther  off 
than  it  had  in  the  days  of  David.  The  kings  who  sat  on 
David's  throne  at  Jerusalem  were  David's  descendants, 
but  none  of  them  fulfilled  the  people's  expectations  as  to 
the  great  Son  of  David  who  was  to  set  up  a  Kingdom 
to  last  forever.  In  thus  expecting  a  descendant  of  David 
to  become  their  deliverer,  the  Hebrew  people  were  evi- 
dently thinking  of  a  human  helper,  but  mingled  with  this 
thought  was  another  which  had  in  mind  One  who  should 
be  something  more  than  man. 

A  Divine  Saviour  and  Redeemer.  As  the  clouds  gath- 
ered about  the  declining  Hebrew  nation,  the  sense  of  need 
for  divine  help  grew  strong.  The  problems  with  which 
the  little  band  of  the  faithful  were  grappling  were  seen 
to  be  too  great  for  man  to  solve  alone.  The  eyes  of  the 
righteous  few  were  turned  Godward.  They  longed  for 
some  manifestation  of  Jehovah  such  as  they  had  never  yet 
known,  some  visible  evidence  of  his  presence  in  the  midst 
of  his  people  which  would  turn  the  scale  of  battle  in  the 
struggle  between  good  and  evil.  You  can  hear  a  note  of 
unutterable  longing  in  prayers  like  this  of  the  prophet 
Isaiah : 


"  Oh  that  thou  wouldest  rend  the  heavens,  that  thou  wouldest 
come  down,  that  the  mountains  might  quake  at  thy  presence,  as 
when  fire  kindleth  the  brushwood,  and  the  fire  causeth  the 
waters  to  boil;  to  make  thy  name  known  to  thine  adversaries, 
that  the  nations  may  tremble  at  thy  presence!" — Isa.  64:1,  2. 

The  belief  that  God  would  in  some  way  come  in  person 
to  the  rescue  of  his  people  and  in  defense  of  righteousness 
grew  stronger  and  stronger.  Under  God's  inspiration 
Isaiah  declared  that  the  name  of  the  coming  Redeemer 
should  be  '*  Wonderful,  Counsellor,  Mighty  God,  Ever- 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH   SCHOOL  LESSONS    245 

lasting  Father,  Prince  of  Peace."  Isa.  9  :6.  In  another 
sermon  he  predicted  the  coming  of  Jehovah  in  person  to 
rule  over  his  people. 

"Thine  eyes  shall  see  the  king  in  his  beauty:  .  .  .  thine  eyes 
shall  see  Jerusalem  a  quiet  habitation,  a  tent  that  shall  not  be 
removed,  the  stakes  whereof  shall  never  be  plucked  up,  neither 
shall  any  of  the  cords  thereof  be  broken.  But  there  Jehovah 
will  be  with  us  in  majesty,  a  place  of  broad  rivers  and  streams, 
wherein  shall  go  no  galley  with  oars,  neither  shall  gallant  ship 
pass  thereby.  For  Jehovah  is  our  judge,  Jehovah  is  our  law- 
giver, Jehovah  is  our  king;  he  will  save  us." — Isa.  33:17,  20-22. 

That  this  belief  in  the  coming  of  Jehovah  in  person  to 
dwell  among  his  people  persisted  is  shown  by  the  writ- 
ings of  Malachi,  one  of  the  last  of  the  Hebrew  prophets. 
Certain  words  of  his  seem  to  be  predictions  concerning 
the  coming  of  Christ  and  concerning  his  forerunner,  John 
the  Baptist: 

"  Behold,  I  send  my  messenger,  and  he  shall  prepare  the  way 
before  me:  and  the  Lord,  whom  ye  seek,  will  suddenly  come  to 
his  temple;  and  the  messenger  of  the  covenant,  whom  ye  desire, 
behold,  he  cometh,  saith  Jehovah  of  hosts." — Mai.  3:1. 

Jesus  as  the  Fulfillment  of  Messianic  Prophecy.  There 
is  only  one  person  in  all  history  who  can  fulfill  the  Mes- 
sianic prophecies.  He  was  a  man,  born  of  a  woman.  He 
was  a  descendant  of  King  David.  He  is  God's  Son,  and 
one  with  the  Father  in  power  and  glory.  He  is  the  King 
for  whom  the  righteous  Hebrews  longed,  the  Saviour  not 
only  of  the  peoples  and  of  the  nations,  but  of  all  who  come 
to  him. 

"All  hail  the  power  of  Jesus'  name! 
Let  angels  prostrate  fall; 
Bring  forth  the  royal  diadem, 
And  crown  him  Lord  of  all." 

The  Kingdom  oe  the  Messiah 

The  utterances  of  the  prophets  concerning  the  King- 
dom which  the  Messiah  is  to  establish  are  among  the 
most  beautiful  and  sublime  passages  of  the  Bible.     Here 


246    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH   SCHOOL  LESSONS 

is  Isaiah's  picture  of  the  universal  peace  and  good  will 
which  shall  prevail  in  that  Kingdom  : 

"  And  the  wolf  shall  dwell  with  the  Iamb,  and  the  leopard 
shall  lie  down  with  the  kid;  and  the  calf  and  the  young  lion  and 
the  fatling  together;  and  a  little  child  shall  lead  them.  And 
the  cow  and  the  bear  shall  feed;  their  young  ones  shall  lie 
down  together;  and  the  lion  shall  eat  straw  like  the  ox.  And  the 
sucking  child  shall  play  on  the  hole  of  the  asp,  and  the  weaned 
child  shall  put  his  hand  on  the  adder's  den.  They  shall  not  hurt 
nor  destroy  in  all  my  holy  mountain;  for  the  earth  shall  be  full 
of  the  knowledge  of  Jehovah,  as  the  waters  cover  the  sea." — 
Isa.  11:6-9. 

As  we  saw  in  our  last  lesson,  we  have  the  opportunity 
to  become  helpers  in  the  great  task  of  setting  up  the 
Kingdom  of  the  Messiah.  No  enterprise  is  half  so  im- 
portant as  this.  No  knight  ever  started  out  on  a  quest 
half  so  noble.  Every  boy  and  girl  who  studies  these  les- 
sons can  have  an  important  part  in  this  sublime  under- 
taking, if  all  will  be  true  to  their  pledge  of  loyalty  to  the 
Kingdom  that  is  to  be. 


SUNDAY  SESSION 

THE  SUFFERING  SERVANT  OF  JEHOVAH 

Isa.,  ch.  53 

We  come  now  to  the  study  of  one  of  the  most  remark- 
able chapters  in  the  Old  Testament.  It  is  Isaiah's  great 
picture  of  the  suffering  Saviour.  It  was  written  hundreds 
of  years  before  the  birth  of  Jesus,  yet  it  is  a  wonderful 
picture  of  him  and  of  his  sufferings  for  the  salvation  of 
the  world.  How  did  the  prophet  come  to  write  these 
words?  Most  of  the  people  thought  that  the  Messiah 
would  be  a  king  like  other  kings,  only  more  powerful ; 
that  he  would  wage  a  war  of  extermination  against  his 
enemies  and  triumph  through  the  power  of  force.  Here 
is  a  picture  so  different  from  what  we  might  expect  that 
the  effect  is  startling.  Some  have  thought  that  the  suffer- 
ings of  the  Hebrew  people  helped  the  prophet  to  under- 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH   SCHOOL  LESSONS    247 

stand  that  the  Messiah  would  win  a  hard  way  to  victory- 
through  suffering.  We  do  not  know  about  this,  but,  in 
any  case,  it  seems  certain  that  God  must  have  helped  the 
prophet  to  understand  Avhat  the  world's  Saviour  would 
undergo  to  redeem  humanity. 

The  Lowly  Origin  of  the  World's  Redeemer.  The  pic- 
ture which  the  prophet  gives  us  in  the  opening  verses  of 
the  chapter  is  not  the  picture  of  a  king  of  the  usual  kind. 
The  kingliness  of  the  coming  Messiah  was  not  to  be  evi- 
dent in  the  manner  of  his  advent  into  the  world.  His 
coming  was  to  be  in  such  a  quiet  and  usual  way  that  it 
would  not  create  any  great  comment.  He  was  to  grow 
up  "  as  a  tender  plant,  and  as  a  root  out  of  a  dry  ground." 
There  was  to  be  nothing  in  the  outward  appearance  of  the 
Coming  One  to  advertise  to  the  world  the  greatness  of 
his  character  and  the  sublimity  of  his  mission.  He  was 
to  have  no  "  form  nor  comeliness  "  and  there  was  to  be 
*'  no  beauty  "  leading  men  to  desire  him.  The  comeliness 
and  the  beauty  of  the  Redeemer  were  to  be  inward  in  their 
nature,  seen  only  by  those  who  had  eyes  to  see  such 
things. 

A  Bearer  of  Other  Men's  Sins.  When  any  person  vol- 
untarily takes  upon  himself  the  consequences  of  some 
other  person's  sins  and  suffers  for  these  sins,  we  call  such 
suffering  "  vicarious."  The  prophet  declares  that  the 
King  for  whom  the  Hebrews  were  longing  would  be  a 
vicarious  sufferer.  He  was  to  be  "  wounded  for  our  trans- 
gressions, .  .  .  bruised  for  our  iniquities ;  the  chastise- 
ment of  our  peace  was  upon  him ;  and  with  his  stripes  we 
are  healed."  The  Messiah  was  to  be  a  sin  bearer :  "  All 
we  like  sheep  have  gone  astray;  we  have  turned  every 
one  to  his  own  way ;  and  Jehovah  hath  laid  on  him  the 
iniquity  of  us  all." 

A  Lamb  Led  to  Slaughter.  Instead  of  mounting  the 
throne  of  David  to  pronounce  awful  doom  against  his 
enemies,  as  so  many  of  the  Hebrews  believed  that  the 
Messiah  would  do,  Ave  are  told  by  the  prophet  that  the 
]\Iessiah  w^hom  he  foresaw  would  himself  be  led  before  a 
judgment  seat  of  oppression  and  cruelty.  In  meekness 
and  self-control  he  would  open  not  his  mouth  in  the 
presence   of   his   accusers.      He   would    suffer   shameful 

17 


248     IXTERMEDIATE  CHURCH   SCHOOL  LESSONS 

death  among  wicked  men  and  would  be  buried  in  the 
grave  of  a  man  of  wealth.  The  Messiah  should  suffer  all 
these  things,  *'  although  he  had  done  no  violence,  neither 
was  any  deceit  in  his  mouth." 

Glorified  and  Triumphant  Through  Sufferings  and 
Death.  The  prophet  foresees  that  through  vicarious  suf- 
fering and  death  this  Servant  of  Jehovah  will  accomplish 
the  great  objectives  of  his  mission:  "  He  shall  see  of  the 
travail  of  his  soul,  and  shall  be  satisfied :  by  the  knowl- 
edge of  himself  shall  my  righteous  servant  justify  many." 
**  The  pleasure  of  Jehovah  shall  prosper  in  his  hand,"  that 
is,  the  work  God  wishes  done  in  the  world  will  be  ac- 
complished under  the  leadership  and  help  of  this  Servant 
Messiah. 

The  words  of  this  chapter  were  fulfilled  in  a  wonderful 
way  by  Jesus.  When  we  come  to  study  his  life,  we  shall 
see  how  this  picture  of  the  suffering  Servant  of  Jehovah 
is  a  life  portrait  of  Jesus  of  Nazareth. 

Our  Redeemer  and  Lord.  This  Saviour  of  whom  the 
Hebrew  prophets  wrote  has  a  very  personal  relationship 
to  each  one  of  us.  He  suffered  and  died  to  save  each  of  us 
from  the  guilt  and  power  of  sin  and  to  make  it  possible 
for  us  to  become  citizens  of  his  Kingdom.  Without  fel- 
lowship with  him  we  cannot  accomplish  the  life  work 
which  God  has  intended  for  us.  Without  him  we  cannot 
grow  into  the  purity  of  life  and  unselfishness  of  spirit 
which  make  one  fit  for  the  life  everlasting.  We  can  all 
become  his  disciples,  if  we  will ;  and  if  we  follow  him  he 
will  make  us  to  become  something  greater  in  character 
and  more  useful  in  service  than  we  can  possibly  become 
without  him. 

The  Cost  of  the  Kingdom 

A  visit  to  the  battle  field  of  Gettysburg  is  one  of  the 
most  interesting  and  instructive  experiences  possible  for 
a  thoughtful  person.  Hundreds  of  monuments  are  scat- 
tered over  this  ground  where  the  Union  and  the  Confed- 
erate armies  contended  for  three  days  in  the  most  de- 
cisive battle  of  the  Civil  War.  Some  of  these  monuments 
mark  the  positions  held  by  various  regiments  in  the  great 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH   SCHOOL  LESSONS    249 

conflict.  Some  of  them  are  high  towers  of  granite  or 
marble  erected  by  states  to  the  memory  of  their  own 
soldiers  who  fell  in  the  great  struggle.  Some  of  them 
mark  the  spots  where  some  noted  generals  fell.  But  more 
impressive  than  any  of  these  are  the  grim  old  trenches 
running  all  along  Cemetery  Ridge,  the  very  fortifications 
behind  which  the  Union  soldiers  were  concealed  on  that 
last  memorable  day  of  the  battle,  the  same  fortifications 
against  which  the  Confederates  made  their  gallant  as- 
sault, only  to  be  hurled  back,  at  last,  in  confusion  and 
despair.  But  there  is  an  even  more  impressive  sight  than 
any  of  these.  It  is  the  long  rows  of  unmarked  stones 
where  lies  the  dust  of  the  thousands  of  common  soldiers 
who  gave  up  their  lives  in  the  great  battle.  For  the  most 
part,  these  soldiers  were  hardly  more  than  boys.  They 
gave  their  lives  for  their  country  in  their  early  youth. 

Do  you  know  why  our  country  has  made  the  Gettys- 
burg battle  field  a  national  park?  Was  it  that  these 
heroes  who  gave  up  their  lives  for  the  saving  of  the  nation 
might  be  honored?  That  was  a  part  of  the  object  the 
nation  had  in  view,  but  its  primary  motive  was  something 
else.  Our  nation  wished  the  boys  and  girls  of  every 
future  generation  to  know  what  it  had  cost  to  save  the 
nation  in  the  dreadful  days  of  the  Civil  War.  For  the 
same  purpose  Valley  Forge  has  been  made  a  public  park, 
because  it  was  there  that  the  little  American  army  suf- 
fered so  heroically  from  hunger  and  cold  during  the  Revo- 
lutionary War.  So  you  will  find  all  over  our  country 
these  spots  which  are  a  constant  reminder  to  each  genera- 
tion that  our  nation  has  cost  something. 

One  of  the  important  lessons  we  should  learn  from  our 
study  of  the  patriarchs  and  prophets  is  the  cost  of  the 
religious  truths  which  are  offered  so  freely  to  us  in  our 
own  day.  These  truths  have  been  bought  with  a  great 
price,  but  not  too  great,  for  their  value  is  beyond  compu- 
tation. It  was  for  these  truths  that  men  like  Jeremiah 
suffered  persecution.  It  was  for  these  truths,  and  that 
man  might  know  and  love  them  and  obey  them,  that 
Jesus  gave  up  his  life  as  the  suffering  Servant  of  Jehovah. 
We  should  regard  the  opportunity  to  become  members 
of  God's  Church  and  of  his  Kingdom  as  a  privilege,  the 


250    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH   SCHOOL  LESSONS 

value  of  which  it  is  beyond  our  powers  to  estimate.  Jesus 
had  a  good  deal  to  say  about  the  value  of  the  Kingdom  of 
God.  He  said  that  it  is  like  a  pearl  of  great  price,  so  im- 
mensely valuable  that  a  man  might  wisely  sell  all  that 
he  had  in  order  to  buy  it. 

The:  Le:sson  Prayer 

Our  Father  in  heaven,  help  us  to  appreciate  the  value 
of  the  religious  truths  which  are  so  freely  offered  to  us. 
Help  us  all  to  become  worthy  citizens  of  thy  Kingdom, 
Teach  us  how  to  honor  thee.  Teach  us  the  way  of  broth- 
erhood and  service.  Fit  us  for  the  largest  and  most  use- 
ful life  possible  for  us  now  and  in  the  life  to  come.  Give 
us  self-control  and  a  spirit  of  friendship  and  justice.  We 
ask  in  the  name  of  our  Redeemer.    Amen. 

The:  Lesson  Hymn 

"  I  hear  thy  welcome  voice 

That  calls  me,  Lord,  to  thee 
For  cleansing  in  thy  precious  blood 
That  flowed  on  Calvary. 

Refrain: 

"  I  am  coming.  Lord, 
Coming  now  to  thee: 
Wash  me,  cleanse  me,  in  the  blood 
That  flowed  on  Calvary. 


'Tis  Jesus  calls  me  on 

To  perfect  faith  and  love. 
To  perfect  hope,  and  peace,  and  trust. 

For  earth  and  heaven  above. 


'Tis  Jesus  who  confirms 

The  blessed  work  within. 
By  adding  grace  to  welcomed  grace, 

Where  reigned  the  power  of  sin. 

And  he  the  witness  gives 

To  loyal  hearts  and  free, 
That  every  promise  is  fulfilled, 

If  faith  but  brings  the  plea." 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH   SCHOOL  LESSONS    251 

EXPRESSIONAL  SESSION 

THE  DAY  WHEN  WE  MAKE  OUR  GREATEST 
DECISION 

The  success,  or  failure,  of  a  life  depends  on  the  kind 
of  decisions  it  makes.  Those  who  have  attained  large 
success  in  various  forms  of  human  effort  have  usually 
made,  early  in  life^  certain  wise  decisions  which  they  have 
kept  faithfully.  Our  spiritual  and  mental  condition  when 
we  make  great  decisions  is  a  matter  of  importance.  Some 
people  make  important  decisions  when  they  are  down- 
hearted and  discouraged,  and  they  find  afterward  that 
their  decisions  have  been  wrong  and  have  caused  them  to 
fail.  One  should  be  in  the  right  frame  of  mind  when  con- 
sidering some  decision  which  will  afifect  all  the  rest  of 
his  life. 

Many  of  the  important  decisions  of  life  are  made  in 
youth.  It  is  then  that  most  of  us  decide  on  a  life  work. 
It  is  then  that  we  decide  whether  we  are  to  receive  a  col- 
lege education,  or  only  a  common-school  or  a  high-school 
education.  It  is  then  that  we  decide  what  things  we  are 
going  to  find  pleasure  in  and  the  kind  of  people  we  are 
going  to  have  for  our  friends.  But  there  is  a  more  im- 
portant decision  than  any  of  these,  and  it  is  nearly  always 
made  in  youth.  That  decision  is  the  choice  or  rejection 
of  the  Christian  life. 

The  Importance  oe  Our  Decision  eor  or  Against  the 
Christian  Liee 
The  day  when  we  decide  for,  or  against,  the  Christian 
life  is  the  day  of  our  greatest  life  decision.  It  has  more 
to  do  with  ourselves  than  any  other  decision  and  it  affects 
many  more  people  than  ourselves,  perhaps  even  the 
people  who  will  be  living  centuries  ahead  of  us  in  the 
future.  This  decision  has  to  do,  not  only  with  the  few 
years  we  live  on  this  earth,  but  with  the  immeasurable 
time  we  shall  live  in  the  world  to  come. 

Reasons  Why  We  Should  Decide  eor  the  Christian 

Liee 
There  are  so  many  reasons  why  each  of  us  should  de- 
cide for  the  Christian  life  that  we  cannot  even  name  them 


252    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH   SCHOOL  LESSONS 

all  here.  In  fact,  every  valid  reason  is  in  favor  of  such  a 
choice  and  there  is  absolutely  not  one  reason  against  it. 

Such  a  Choice  Leads  to  Perfect  Spiritual  Growth.  Did 
you  ever  see  a  plant  that  had  tried  to  grow  in  a  dark  cel- 
lar? If  you  have,  you  know  that  it  was  a  very  imperfect 
plant.  There  was  nothing  perfect  about  it.  Its  leaves 
lacked  the  important  green  substance  without  which  they 
were  hardly  real  leaves.  The  flowers  were  without  color 
and  they  never  bore  any  fruit.  Life  without  religion  is 
like  a  plant  growing  in  a  cellar.  Religion  is  the  sunlight 
of  God  for  the  soul  and  there  will  be  no  perfection  for  our 
souls  if  God's  sunlight  is  denied  them.  That  is  what  our 
lesson  hymn  means  when  it  says, 

"  'Tis  Jesus  calls  me  on 

To  perfect  faith  and  love. 
To  perfect  hope,  and  peace,  and  trust, 
For  earth  and  heaven  above." 

Such  a  Choice  Leads  to  the  Highest  Usefulness.    If  we 

would  do  as  much  good  as  we  can  we  must  have  religion. 
Religion  will  give  us  that  spirit  of  unselfishness  without 
which  there  is  no  true  service.  Religion  will  cause  us  to 
love  to  do  good  to  others  and  it  will  make  us  diligent  and 
faithful  and  wise.  God  chose  Jacob  because  Jacob  was 
capable  of  becoming  religious  and  therefore  useful  to  God 
in  his  great  plan.  If  we  would  be  helpers  of  God  we  must 
know  God's  way  of  doing  things  and  to  know  that  is  to 
be  religious. 

Such  a  Choice  Is  Obedience  to  God's  Commandments. 
This  is  not  a  matter  in  which  God  has  said,  "  Do  as  you 
please."  He  has  said  to  every  one  of  us,  or  will  say  it 
soon,  ''  Son,  daughter,  give  me  thy  heart."  If  we  refuse 
to  choose  the  religious  life  we  say,  "  No,"  to  God. 

When  to  Decide 

There  comes  a  time  in  the  life  of  every  boy  and  girl 
when  God  calls  to  a  closer  fellowship  with  himself  than 
it  was  possible  to  know  in  childhood.  Boys  and  girls  at 
that  time  begin  to  feel  a  real  desire  to  become  religious 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS     253 

in  a  deep  way.  They  begin  to  think  about  joining  the 
Church.  These  feelings  are  God's  call  to  them.  This  is 
the  time  for  them  to  make  the  great  decision.  Nothing 
is  gained  by  putting  it  off  and  there  is  great  danger  in 
such  an  act.  The  interest  will  be  apt  to  grow  less  as  they 
grow  older,  and  may  finally  disappear  and  the  whole  of 
life  be  spent  without  fellowship  with  God.  "  Now  is  the 
acceptable  time ;  behold,  now  is  the  day  of  salvation." 

How  A  Pearson  Bkcomks  a  Christian 

The  process  through  which  a  person  becomes  a  Chris- 
tian is  simple.  We  become  Christians  through  faith  in 
Jesus  as  our  Saviour.  We  not  only  believe  that  there 
was  such  a  person  as  Jesus,  but  we  respond  to  him  with 
love  and  devotion.  When  we  believe  on  Jesus  in  this  way 
we  become  his  disciples.  We  learn  more  and  more  about 
him  and  we  come  to  be  more  and  more  like  him. 

The  C1.ASS  Code 

The  Law  of  Loyalty  to  Jesus  Christ.  (To  be  subscribed 
to  by  those  who  are  Christians  or  who  now  make  their 
decision  for  the  Christian  life.)  We  believe  that  Jesus 
is  the  Son  of  God  and  the  Saviour  of  the  world.  There- 
fore: 

1.  We  accept  him  as  our  Lord  and  Saviour. 

2.  We  promise  that  we  will  try  to  do  what  he  would 
have  us  do. 

3.  We  will  honor  and  love  him  and  try  to  grow  like 
him  in  character. 


CHAPTER  XXI 

THE  INVINCIBLE  PURPOSES  OF  GOD 

WEEK  DAY  SESSION 

THE  TIME  BETWEEN  THE  TESTAMENTS 
Isa.  6:8-11;  55:  10-13 

Some  luinclerds  of  years  come  in  between  the  time  when 
the  last  Old  Testament  book  was  written  and  the  begin- 
ning of  the  New  Testament  times.  These  were  centuries 
marked  by  many  stirring  events  in  the  life  of  the  Jewish 
people  when  God  was  working  for  the  fulfillment  of  his 
plans  quite  as  truly  as  he  had  been  working  in  the  pre- 
ceding centuries  when  the  Hebrew  people  were  enjoying 
the  opportunities  of  that  second  chance  which  their  God 
had  graciously  given  them.  The  story  of  this  second 
chance  for  the  Jewish  nation  cannot  be  completed  in  this 
series  of  lessons  based  on  the  Old  Testament,  for  it  ex- 
tended on  into  New  Testament  times. 

The  Slow  Growth  of  the  Restored  Hebrew  Nation. 
The  little  band  of  Jews  who  had  come  back  to  rebuild  the 
walls  of  Jerusalem  grew  but  slowly.  Occasionally  new 
bands  of  returning  Hebrews  joined  them,  however,  so 
that  after  a  good  many  years  the  empty  land  began  to  be 
refilled  with  Hebrew  people.  The  Hebrew  nation  was  no 
longer  independent.  It  was  subject  to  the  Persian  mon- 
archy which,  in  addition  to  the  land  of  Palestine,  ruled 
nearly  all  the  world  that  was  known  at  that  time,  with 
the  exception  of  the  land  of  Greece  and  the  territory  west- 
ward from  the  Greeks.  The  Hebrews  could  not  be  en- 
tirely satisfied  under  foreign  dominion,  but  the  period  of 
peace  enabled  them  to  develop  and  the  power  of  Persia 
protected  them  during  this  period  when  they  were  too 
few  to  protect  themselves. 

The  Conquests  of  Alexander  the  Great.  You  doubtless 
have  read  of  the  great  Macedonian  general,  Alexander, 
who  conquered  the  Persian  Empire.  The  land  of  the 
Jews  became  a  part  of  the  dominion  of  Alexander  the 

254 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS    255 

Great.  After  the  death  of  Alexander,  his  immense  empire 
was  torn  to  pieces  by  the  wars  between  his  different  gen- 
erals and  Palestine  came  under  the  rule  of  one  of  these 
generals.  Great  numbers  of  Greek  people  came  into  the 
country  and  built  splendid  cities,  especially  in  the  north- 
ern portion  of  the  country  and  in  the  lands  east  of  the 
Jordan  River.  The  Greek  language  came  to  be  the  com- 
mon speech  of  the  country,  especially  among  the  educated 
people. 

The  Persecutions  Under  Antiochus  Epiphanes.  The 
Jews  were  fairly  well  satisfied  so  long  as  they  could 
worship  Jehovah  as  they  believed  he  desired  to  be  wor- 
shiped. But  after  a  time  there  came  to  be  a  king  named 
Antiochus  Epiphanes  who  was  ruler  over  the  country. 
This  king  made  up  his  mind  that  his  country  would  be 
stronger  if  it  spoke  one  language  and  had  one  religion. 
He  determined  to  make  the  Greek  language  the  only 
speech  of  all  his  realm  and  the  Greek  religion  the  only 
religion.  So  he  issued  laws  that  the  Jews  should  no 
longer  worship  their  God,  Jehovah.  They  must  worship 
Jupiter  and  Venus  and  the  other  gods  whom  the  Greek 
people  worshiped.  It  was  a  time  of  great  peril.  If  the 
Hebrews  yielded,  the  religion  of  the  true  God  was  likely 
to  perish  from  the  world.  Antiochus  was  an  energetic 
and  determined  ruler.  He  sent  his  officers  and  soldiers 
into  all  the  towns  and  cities  of  Palestine  to  see  that  his 
orders  were  obeyed.  He  went  to  Jerusalem  and  took 
possession  of  the  Temple  of  Jehovah  and  proclaimed  it 
to  be  a  temple  of  Jupiter.  He  went  in  and  offered  a  pig 
as  a  sacrifice  on  the  great  altar  where  Jehovah  had  so 
long  been  worshiped.  Pigs  are  regarded  by  the  Jews  as 
unclean  animals  and  to  offer  this  animal  on  God's  altar 
was  regarded  as  the  climax  of  sacrilege. 

The  Maccabean  Revolt.  Many  of  the  Jewish  people 
were  fearful.  They  ceased  to  worship  Jehovah  openly. 
Some  even  offered  sacrifices  to  the  pagan  gods,  in  obedi- 
ence to  the  commandments  of  Antiochus.  There  were 
others,  however,  who  were  ready  to  die  rather  than  deny 
the  God  of  their  forefathers. 

There  lived  at  this  time  in  the  little  town  of  Modin  on 
the  edge  of  the  plains  of  the  Philistines,  a  certain  Jewish 


256    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH   SCHOOL  LESSONS 

priest  named  Mattathias.  There  were  five  stalwart  sons 
in  the  family  of  this  priest,  and  they  were  all  determined 
that  they  would  never  deny  Jehovah  and  worship  idols. 
They  heard  of  the  armed  officers  who  were  going  about 
the  country  compelling  the  Jews  to  become  worshipers  of 
Jupiter.  In  due  time  these  officials  came  to  Modin  and 
erected  an  altar  on  which  they  expected  to  compel  the 
Jews  of  the  town  to  offer  sacrifices  to  the  idols  of  Greece. 
When  Mattathias  and  his  sons  were  summoned  they  came 
with  their  weapons  concealed  beneath  their  clothing  and, 
when  they  were  commanded  to  worship  the  gods,  instead 
of  offering  the  sacrifices,  they  fell  upon  the  king's  officers 
and  slew  them.  The  report  quickly  spread  through  the 
whole  country  and  loyal  Hebrews  came  flocking  to  the 
standard  of  revolt  which  the  sons  of  Mattathias  had 
raised.  It  was  a  desperate  struggle.  The  Hebrews  were 
few  in  number  compared  with  the  armies  of  Antiochus, 
but  they  were  fired  with  heroic  courage.  Judas  Mac- 
cab?eus,  the  third  son  of  the  priest,  Mattathias,  became 
the  leader  of  the  Hebrew  cause.  He  was  one  of  the  great- 
est military  leaders  of  Jewish  history.  The  struggle  was 
long  and  bitter,  but  in  the  end  the  Hebrews  won  their 
independence.  Their  boundaries  were  pushed  out  to 
almost  as  great  an  extent  as  in  the  days  of  David.  The 
Hebrews  had  shown  their  zeal  for  Jehovah  and  were  now 
face  to  face  with  great  opportunities. 

The  Roman  Conquest.  The  Maccabees,  as  the  descend- 
ants of  Mattathias  are  called,  established  themselves  as 
rulers  over  the  Hebrew  nation.  Had  they  all  been  nobly 
unselfish,  they  might  have  established  Jewish  independ- 
ence and  led  the  nation  forward  in  the  fulfillment  of  its 
mission  as  God's  helper.  But  some  of  these  Maccabees 
were  selfish  and  unprincipled.  They  thought  only  of  their 
own  honor  and  their  own  power.  There  arose  quarrels 
within  the  family  and  the  nation  was  divided  into  warring 
factions.  As  was  their  custom,  the  Romans  took  a  hand 
in  these  quarrels  and  gave  their  support  to  one  of  the 
factions.  They  ended  by  sending  an  army  under  Pompey 
to  subdue  the  whole  country.  This  general  led  his  army 
to  Jerusalem  and  captured  it.  The  Hebrew  nation,  after 
its  brief  period  of  independence,  now  became  a  Roman 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH   SCHOOL  LESSONS    257 

province.  This  is  why  we  find  that  the  land  of  the  He- 
brews was  ruled  by  the  Romans  during  the  whole  of  the 
period  covered  by  the  New  Testament. 

The:  Pkrseve:ring  God 

When  Jesus  wished  to  teach  his  disciples  about  God's 
care  for  his  creatures  he  said  to  them :  "  Consider  the 
lilies,  how  they  grow ;  they  toil  not,  neither  do  they  spin : 
yet  I  say  unto  you,  that  even  Solomon  in  all  his  glory 
was  not  arrayed  like  one  of  these.  But  if  God  doth  so 
clothe  the  grass  of  the  field,  which  to-day  is,  and  to- 
morrow is  cast  into  the  oven  shall  he  not  much  more 
clothe  you,  O  ye  of  little  faith?"  Some  Bible  students 
have  thought  that  Jesus  referred  in  these  words  to  the 
little  red  anemone  which  grows  everywhere  in  Palestine. 
Others  have  thought  that  he  referred  to  some  lily-like 
plant  such  as  the  iris.  It  may  be,  however,  that  Jesus  re- 
ferred to  the  true  lily,  for  at  least  one  species  is  found 
in  Palestine.  This  is  the  beautiful  "  scarlet  Turk's-cap  " 
lily  which  grows  sparingly  in  the  valleys  and  fields  of 
most  parts  of  the  country;  it  is  cultivated  in  the  gardens 
of  many  parts  of  Europe  and  may  have  been  the  lily  men- 
tioned as  a  garden  plant  in  The  Song  of  Solomon.  Its 
rarity  and  beauty  would  have  made  this  flower  a  fitting 
object  lesson  for  the  Master's  use. 

Such  a  plant  as  the  lily,  when  we  consider  it  carefully, 
teaches  us  other  lessons  about  God,  for  flowers  are  God's 
handiwork.  People  used  to  think  that  in  the  beginning 
of  the  world  God  made  the  lily  just  as  we  see  it  to-day. 
We  are  now  quite  sure  that  this  is  not  the  case.  God 
made  the  lily,  but  it  took  him  so  many  ages  to  do  it  that 
our  minds  cannot  grasp  the  immense  span  of  time.  The 
lily  as  it  stands  before  us  is  the  work  of  a  great  Artist 
who  has  worked  at  his  task  through  millenniums.  If 
God  had  chosen  to  do  so,  he  doubtless  could  have  created 
the  lily  in  a  moment's  time  by  the  word  of  his  power,  but 
it  is  at  least  as  wonderful  that  he  should  have  created  it 
gradually. 

We  believe  that  God  created  the  life  of  the  plant  world, 
just  as  the  Bible  says  he  did.  We  believe  it  because  the 
Bible  says  so,  also  because  we  cannot  think  of  any  better 


258    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH   SCHOOL  LESSONS 

explanation  of  the  beginning  of  life.  Scientists  have  made 
some  wonderful  discoveries  but  they  have  discovered 
nothing  v^hich  could  suggest  in  any  way  that  life  could 
begin  in  any  other  way.  Let  us  consider  the  lily  in  the 
light  that  modern  science  throws  on  it.  How  has  it 
grown  up  through  the  ages  into  its  present  form  of 
beauty? 

As  we  have  said  we  cannot  tell  in  what  form  the  life 
of  the  lily  began,  but  we  are  sure  that  the  Creator  gave 
it  life  in  the  beginning.  Perhaps  it  was  at  first  some  very 
low  form  of  plant  life  in  the  water.  As  the  ages  passed  it 
grew  in  size  and  in  complexity  of  structure.  In  time  it 
formed  the  habit  of  sending  some  leaves  into  the  air  and 
they  became  suited  to  that  kind  of  life.  Gradually  our 
ancient  lily-like  plant  became  a  swamp  dweller.  It  lived 
half  in  mud  and  water,  half  in  air.  It  began  to  have  some 
queer  little  flowers,  not  at  all  like  the  beautiful  blossoms 
of  the  Turk's-cap  lily.  Ages  and  ages  later  the  lily  was 
a  dry  land  plant.  Its  flowers  had  grown  larger  and  were 
taking  on  a  little  color.  So  step  by  step  the  lily  grew, 
that  is,  the  lily  race  grew.  Individual  lilies  changed  but 
little,  but  these  many  little  changes  toward  grace  and 
beauty  were  all  treasured  up  by  the  God  of  nature  who 
was  creating  the  lily  of  to-day.  At  last  the  lily  family 
was  well-established,  but  it  occupied  only  a  small  part  of 
the  world's  surface;  perhaps  just  a  little  section  of  land 
far  toward  the  North  Pole,  where  the  world  had  become 
suited  in  climate  for  the  life  of  plants  like  lilies. 

God  has  not  only  made  a  wonderful  variety  of  plants, 
but  has  scattered  them  widely  over  all  the  earth.  It  was 
not  his  plan  that  one  little  portion  of  the  earth  should 
have  lilies  and  all  the  other  parts  of  the  earth  should  have 
none.  So  he  scattered  his  lilies  with  a  generous  hand 
over  all  the  countries  of  the  earth,  so  that  there  is  hardly 
a  country  of  the  world  which  does  not  have  its  beautiful 
lilies.  The  world  grew  colder  and  the  lilies  moved  south- 
ward from  their  birthplace  near  the  North  Pole.  As  they 
moved  southward  they  became  scattered  out  over  wider 
areas.  If  you  will  take  a  globe  and  trace  the  meridians 
running  out  from  the  poles  you  will  see  that  they  get 
farther  and  farther  apart  as  they  move  away  from  the 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH   SCHOOL  LESSONS    259 

poles ;  thus  by  following  the  meridians  the  lily  family  was 
spread  out  in  fan-shaped  areas  to  the  southward.  The 
world's  great  winter  known  as  the  glacial  period  came 
on  and  the  lilies  were  forced  far  down  toward  the  equator. 
Then  the  world  grew  warmer  and  the  lilies  moved  north- 
ward again.  In  this  way  the  lily  family  was  scattered 
over  the  continents  of  the  northern  hemisphere. 

But  all  this  time  changes  were  going  on  in  the  lily 
family,  so  that  it  came  to  pass  that  each  continent  had  its 
own  varieties  of  lilies.  In  the  islands  of  Japan  there  de- 
veloped the  wonderfully  beautiful  lilies  which  we  often 
see  in  greenhouses  and  gardens.  On  our  Pacific  Coast  of 
America  there  grew  up  the  magnificant  Redwood  lily  of 
the  Coast  Ranges,  the  splendid  Humboldt  lily  of  the 
Sierras,  and  half  a  dozen  other  kinds.  In  eastern  America, 
we  have  as  a  result  of  this  scattering  of  the  lily  family 
our  Canada  lily,  our  Turk's-cap  lily,  and  several  others. 
Some  of  the  lilies  came  down  through  Europe  and  west- 
ern Asia.  One  of  these  grew  to  be  snow-white.  We  call 
it  the  Easter  lily.  Another  came  down  across  the  Cau- 
casus mountains  into  Syria.  It  found  a  home  in  Pales- 
tine and  grew  there  in  the  time  of  Jesus  just  as  it  does 
to-day.  We  may  well  believe  that  this  was  the  flower  on 
which  the  Master  looked  when  he  said  to  his  disciples, 
"  Consider  the  lilies,  how  they  grow." 

The  lily  teaches  not  only  the  care  of  God  for  his  crea- 
tures but  the  infinite  perseverance  of  the  great  Creator 
who  has  worked  through  ages  to  give  to  the  flowers  their 
beauty  and  their  fragrance.  Have  we  not  seen  something 
of  that  same  perseverance,  patient  and  invincible,  in  God's 
dealings  with  the  people  of  Israel  as  he  sought  through 
them  to  bring  his  children  to  spiritual  beauty  and  to 
grandeur  of  character? 


SUNDAY  SESSION 

WHAT    GOD    ACCOMPLISHED    THROUGH     THE 
HEBREW  PEOPLE  IN  OLD  TESTAMENT  TIMES 

Psalm  147 

Perhaps  we  have  felt  as  we  studied  these  lessons  that 
God's    effort    to    bless    humanity    through    the    Hebrew 


260    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH   SCHOOL  LESSONS 

people  was  largely  a  failure.  It  is  true  that  much  that 
might  have  been  accomplished  was  not  done  because  so 
many  of  the  people  were  untrue  to  their  God.  Man's  un- 
faithfulness, however,  while  it  hinders  God's  plans,  can 
never  utterly  defeat  them.  When  we  survey  the  whole 
field  we  see  that  much  had  been  accomplished  in  spite  of 
the  failures  due  to  the  unfaithfulness  of  the  nation,  as  a 
whole. 

During  This  Period  the  Old  Testament  Was  Written. 
The  writing  of  the  Old  Testament  by  men  inspired  by 
God  was  a  success  for  God's  plans  valuable  beyond  our 
powers  to  estimate.  This  great  part  of  the  Bible  was 
ready  to  be  given  to  the  world  when  the  period  we  are 
studying  came  to  an  end.  It  contained  ideas  of  vast  spir- 
itual importance.  It  taught  the  oneness  of  God ;  that 
Jehovah  is  the  sovereign  Creator  and  that  there  is  no 
other  besides  him.  It  taught  the  brotherhood  of  man : 
that  all  are  created  by  the  same  God  and  responsible  to 
him  for  their  acts.  It  was  a  great  victory  for  God's  plans 
that  even  a  few  people  like  the  prophets  had  caught 
visions  of  the  universal  brotherhood  and  justice  which 
were  to  characterize  God's  Kingdom  in  the  world.  There 
was  no  such  thought  in  the  pagan  world ;  injustice  was 
there  all  but  universal.  The  Old  Testament  contains  the 
great  songs  of  religion  which  we  call  The  Psalms.  It  was 
a  victory  so  great  that  we  cannot  measure  it  for  humanity 
to  be  lifted  where  it  could  be  possible  for  even  a  few 
people  to  sing  a  song  like  the  Twenty-third  Psalm. 

During  This  Period  a  Whole  Nation  Had  Been  Won 
from  Idolatry.  We  have  seen  how  the  Hebrew  people 
fell  again  and  again  into  idolatry.  It  was  for  some  cen- 
turies their  besetting  sin.  But  after  the  dreadful  experi- 
ences of  the  Captivity,  they  were  cured.  They  never  again 
became  an  idolatrous  people.  They  had  a  loathing  of  all 
idol  worship  which  was  extreme  and  could  not  be  eradi- 
cated. Sometime  we  shall  study  the  history  of  the  Christ- 
ian Church  and  learn  the  story  of  its  heroic  struggle 
with  idolatry  and  its  full  triumph.  The  triumph  of  the 
Hebrews  over  the  sin  of  idolatry  was  a  preparation  for 
this  later  triumph  of  Christianity. 

During  This  Period  a  Whole  Nation  Had  Been  Taught 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH  SCHOOL  LESSONS    261 

to  Expect  a  Divine  Deliverer.  We  have  seen  how  the 
Messianic  hope  grew  stronger  and  stronger  among  the 
Hebrews.  This  was  a  very  real  preparation  for  God's 
plans  in  the  future.  Many  of  the  Hebrews  were  mistaken 
in  their  ideas  as  to  what  the  Messiah  would  be  and  as  to 
what  he  would  do,  but  there  were  a  faithful  few  who 
earnestly  longed  for  his  coming  and  who  were  ready  to 
follow  wherever  he  might  lead.  Thus  we  see  how  God 
was  fulfilling  his  promise  that  his  word  should  not  return 
unto  him  void,  but  should  accomplish  the  thing  where- 
unto  he  had  sent  it. 

Gathe^ring  Up  the:  Fragments 

The  story  is  told  that  during  the  erection  of  one  of  the 
great  cathedrals  of  Europe  an  accident  occurred  to  one  of 
the  beautiful  stained-glass  windows.  The  artist  had 
labored  on  the  window  for  many  months  and  regarded 
it  as  his  masterpiece,  but  as  it  was  being  raised  into 
position,  the  ropes  slipped  and  it  came  crashing  down 
upon  the  stone  pavement.  The  glass  was  shattered  into 
fragments  and  scattered  far  and  near.  The  workmen 
were  making  ready  to  cart  away  the  broken  glass  when 
the  artist  who  had  made  the  window  came  in.  He  had 
the  broken  fragments  brought  to  his  workshop  and  set 
to  work  with  them.  Slowly  he  reproduced  the  picture 
with  the  little  particles  of  glass.  At  last  the  picture  was 
completed  for  the  second  time.  It  was  raised  to  its  place 
and  many  who  saw  it  there  regarded  it  as  the  most  beau- 
tiful window  in  the  cathedral,  more  beautiful  even  than 
it  had  been  before  the  accident.  God  is  the  great  Artist. 
He  is  able  to  take  the  failures  and  the  disasters  of  men 
and  out  of  the  fragments  of  good  in  men's  lives  and  in 
their  plans  he  builds  something  of  everlasting  worth  and 
beauty. 

The:  Le:sson  Praye:r 

Our  Father  and  our  God,  teach  us  to  know  thee  as 
thou  art.  Give  us  something  of  thy  perseverance  and 
patience  that  we  may  accomplish  our  tasks  well.  Help 
us    to   appreciate   the    Bible   and   to    know    thee   better 


262     INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH   SCHOOL  LESSONS 

through  a  diligent  study  of  its  messages.  Teach  us  to 
see  thee  in  all  thy  works,  that  we  may  know  more  of  thy 
beauty  and  thy  love.  We  thank  thee  for  the  visions  which 
righteous  men  have  had  of  the  Kingdom  thou  wilt  estab- 
lish on  earth.  Fit  us  to  be  thy  helpers  in  the  great  task 
of  bringing  in  such  a  Kingdom.  We  thank  thee  for  the 
Saviour  whom  thou  didst  send  to  satisfy  the  desires  of  all 
nations  and  to  be  our  Teacher  and  Friend.  Help  us  to 
honor  him  and  love  him.    We  ask  in  his  name.    Amen. 


The:  Lesson  Hymn 

"Hark!  the  voice  of  Jesus  crying, 

'Who  will  go  and  work  to-day? 
Fields  are  white,  and  harvests  waiting; 

Who  will  bear  the  sheaves  away?' 
Loud  and  long  the  Master  calleth, 

Rich  reward  he  offers  free; 
Who  will  answer,  gladly  saying, 

'Here  am  I;  send  me,  send  me.' 

"  If  you  cannot  cross  the  ocean. 

And  the  heathen  lands  explore. 
You  can  find  the  heathen  nearer, 

You  can  help  them  at  your  door. 
If  you  cannot  give  your  thousands, 

You  can  give  the  widow's  mite; 
And  the  least  you  give  to  Jesus 

Will  be  precious  in  his  sight. 

"  If  you  cannot  speak  like  angels, 

If  you  cannot  preach  like  Paul, 
You  can  tell  the  love  of  Jesus, 

You  can  say  he  died  for  all. 
If  you  cannot  rouse  the  wicked 

With  the  judgment's  dread  alarms, 
You  can  lead  the  little  children 

To  the  Saviour's  waiting  arms. 

"  Let  none  hear  you  idly  saying, 

'  There  is  nothing  I  can  do,' 
While  the  souls  of  men  are  dying. 

And  the  Master  calls  for  you: 
Take  the  task  he  gives  you  gladly, 

Let  his  work  your  pleasure  be; 
Answer  quickly  when  he  calleth, 

'  Here  am  I;  send  me,  send  me.'  " 


INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH   SCHOOL  LESSONS    263 

EXPRESSIONAL  SESSION 

A  MAXIMUM  LIFE  SERVICE 

Suggestions  for  the;  Le^ader's  Ope^ning  Addrkss 

We  have  come  to  the  end  of  our  lessons  in  the  Old 
Testament.  During  our  study  of  these  lessons  we  have 
had  before  us  the  lives  of  some  of  the  greatest  men  of 
history.  These  men  were  not  great  as  military  leaders 
but  great  as  spiritual  guides.  They  were  in  close  enough 
fellowship  with  God  to  know  him  intimately  and  to  un- 
derstand his  plans.  If  we  are  to  accomplish  the  most 
possible  in  life  we  must  have  some  of  the  traits  of  char- 
acter which  these  great  men  of  the  Old  Testament  pos- 
sessed. We  must  have  something  of  their  faith  in  God 
and  reverence  for  him.  We  must  be  fair  and  fearless  as 
they  were.  We  must  love  humanity  and  hate  every  evil 
which  wrongs  our  fellow  men  or  blights  their  lives.  In 
discussing  the  following  topics,  the  members  of  the  class 
will  tell  some  incident  from  the  life  of  a  great  man  of  the 
Old  Testament  and  show  how  it  illustrates  the  truth  of 
the  topic. 

Study  Topics 

1.  The  Old  Testament  Heroes  and  Their  Faith  in 
God. 

2.  The  Old  Testament  Heroes  and  Their  Love  of 
Justice. 

3.  The  Old  Testament  Heroes  and  Their  Love  of 
Humanity. 

4.  The  Courage  of  Old  Testament  Heroes. 

5.  The  Visions  of  Old  Testament  Heroes. 

6.  The  Fidelity  of  Old  Testament  Heroes. 

Verses  for  Use  in  the  Meeting 
Prov.  8:17;  Matt.  21:28-31;  25:14-30;  Luke  12:27-34. 

Committee  to  Be  Appointed 
Communicant's  Class  Committee,  to  organize  a  class  of 
prospective  Church  members  to  be  taught  by  the  pastor. 


264    INTERMEDIATE  CHURCH   SCHOOL  LESSONS 

The  Class  Code 

The  Law  of  Maximum  Life  Service.  We  shall  pass 
through  this  life  but  once  and  we  know  that  we  are 
placed  in  this  world  to  serve  God  and  to  help  our  fellow 
men.  We  know  that  we  ought  to  do  as  much  good  as  we 
possibly  can.    Therefore : 

1.  We  will  begin  early  in  life,  even  now,  to  serve  God 
and  help  our  fellows. 

2.  We  will  seek  wisdom  and  guidance  from  the  Bible 
as  God's  Book  and  from  every  other  source  which  God 
uses  to  make  known  his  truth  to  his  children,  for  without 
such  wisdom  and  guidance  we  cannot  give  the  greatest 
possible  service. 

3.  We  will  give  as  much  of  our  time  as  we  can  to 
Christian  service  and  will  try  to  do  our  work  for  God  in 
an  efficient  and  enthusiastic  manner. 


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